


A Heroes Vacation

by RedBowBuddha



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward fluff kinda, Barrisco - Freeform, Blow Jobs, Boyfriends, Caitlin meddles, Central City gets boring with no metas, Cisco would never play with his goggles, Dancing Lessons, Dirty Talk, Drinking, First Kiss, Fluff and Smut, Ghost Stories, Hand Jobs, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Nipple Play, OC Meta - Freeform, Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn, Vacation, Zoom Defeated, cisco is super cheesy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2018-05-23 01:37:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 60,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6100561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedBowBuddha/pseuds/RedBowBuddha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With everything taken care of in Central, Barry and Cisco take a breather and go on vacation. Stress melts away and barriers break down between them now that they finally get some time away from it all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jumpscare

After Zoom was taken care of the Flash Team doesn't have much to occupy their time. Well, Barry at least. The Rogues have been keeping a low profile with Snart off with the Legends. Barry suspected that Lisa had them pulling most of their heists in Star City. It's nothing Oliver can't handle, though. No new metas have made an appearance in awhile and things were getting a bit... well... boring. Barry still loved this city and couldn't picture himself living anywhere else, but the lull in criminal activity was really getting to the young hero.

Barry was currently pacing in circles around the cortex, slightly under super speed and it was starting to wear into the tile. Caitlin marched out of her section of the lab and waved gloved hands in Barry's face to stop him in his tracks. Apparently it was starting to wear into her as well.

"For the love of Central City, please stop pacing! You're making me dizzy and it's getting hard to focus!" Caitlin had been asked to help with a new biotechnology for Mercury Labs and since she wasn't busy fixing Barry after all his run ins she happily accepted the challenge, even if it made her a bit shrill when her stress levels got too high. But Barry would never mention that to her.

Instead he gave a hesitant smile and backed away with his hands up in defense. "Sorry, sorry! Leaving now!" He retreated farther into the lab, knowing better than to push Caitlin's buttons when she was in a mood.

He came across Cisco in his section of the lab, slumped over in deep concentration over some tech. _'Hm_...' Barry thought mischievously to himself as he lightly tiptoed behind Cisco; getting directly behind him, he took a deep breath, ready to jump scare the pants off his friend when suddenly...

"Ah ah ah!" Cisco whipped around in his chair and stuck the pointy end of a screwdriver against Barry's nose. "Not so fast, _mano_." He said, a small smirk creeping at the corner of his mouth, no doubt proud of his pun.

"H-how did you...?! I was so quiet!" Barry exclaimed, looking around incredulously for any reflective material he may have missed, but there's nothing. When he looked back Cisco had his arms folded and his chest puffed out in haughty pride.

"I vibed it." He said, eyes closed with a smug smile on his face. When he opened them Barry's face was a mixture of confusion and excitement.

"Wait, wait, wait, I have so many questions." He said waving his hands around and sliding over a chair, straddling it directly in front of Cisco.

The techie was way too proud of himself and enjoying this limelight a bit too much. Not to mention the extra attention from his best friend, who has the most adorably geeky smile on his face and the softest hazel eyes he's ever seen... He swallowed hard at the strange thought and the slight burning in his cheeks. Since when did Barry Allen make him think those things? He pushed the thought aside in his head and said "shoot, cowboy" keeping that playful smirk on his face.

"Ok so when exactly did you vibe that? I haven't seen you much today and I don't remember seeing you playing with your goggles."

Cisco scoffed at that, "um, first of all I don't _play_ with my goggles that help me see all points in time and sometimes interdimensional events." He said defensively.

At that Barry cocked his head to the side and raised a brow, "so vibing forward in time to see Deadpool before the release date isn't ' _playing_ '?" He said flatly.

Cisco let out a small groan, "There was so much hype! I couldn't help myself! Also you're welcome for not giving away any spoilers." He said shaking a finger in Barry's direction. Barry just shook his head and chuckled at his friend.

"Anyway... I vibed yesterday when we were testing out my sonic blasts and you decided it was a good time to play tag. When you tapped me on the shoulder I was already amped from trying my new powers and pretty scared cause I didn't want to accidentally hurt you... So when you tapped me I vibed the moment before you scared me." He finished quickly, glossing over the obvious concern and softness in his previous statement.

"Huh," Barry said, thinking it over. "Well then why didn't you say anything about it?"

"Didn't want to mess with the timeline," Cisco shrugged, "plus I looked pretty cool thwarting your attempt at a jump scare." He said with a grin on.

Barry's brow furrowed, "but wouldn't your thwarting mess with the timeline if I never actually scare you?"

Cisco waved his hand dismissively, "Nah, nothing so little as a jump scare could cause that much damage." He said as he turned back to his work.

"I'm not so sure, man. You've heard how Rip goes on whenever the Legends make a pit stop." Barry warned.

Cisco just waved away the notion. Barry sighed and stood up, moving across the table from Cisco to get a look at what he's working on.

"Handcuffs?" He asked, noticing the three bins of high tech cuffs sitting next to Cisco that he never noticed before. "Someone's got a colorful nightlife." He joked.

Cisco blushed a little to himself, keeping his head down. "Wouldn't you like to know," he quipped before taking in a sharp breath, shocked at the words that fell out of his mouth.

' _Yeah, I would,_ ' Barry thought to himself, the slightest bit of jealousy creeping up... Hold on, where did that come from?

He never cared about what Cisco did behind closed doors, mostly because he assumed it involved lots of Netflix binges and movie critiques. Sometimes Barry had the pleasure of joining in on those sessions, watching his friend's eyes light up at awesome sci-fi graphics or his chuckling at ridiculous plot holes in B-movies. Barry always left Cisco's apartment those nights feeling happier, lighter and always with an itch to stay a little longer.

But this jealousy, stemming from the implications of the handcuffs, this was new... and confusing. He pushed away those thoughts for now as best as he could.

"Nah, these are for the CCPD." Cisco said, thankfully interrupting Barry's intense, frantic train of thought. "I fashioned them with power dampeners that should be universal to any meta. _These_ " he said excitedly, sliding over a bin of cuffs, each pair with a tiny gun attached to them, "can be fired from a distance of almost _100 yards_! Joe might need to work on his aim, Friday Night Lights style." He tried to joke, not really understanding football culture.

"This'll help out the officers a lot," he continued, "in case we can't be notified in time or, you know, you wanna take a break or something." He said, tapping Barry's fidgeting hands with the handle of his screwdriver. "You look like you could use one, antsy. Don't want you firing off lightning bolts with all that bottled up stress. Even heroes need a vacation once in awhile, you know."

Barry clasped his hands together to stop their squirming. "Yeah, maybe I should." He considered, "things are slow here anyway. I've got all this energy to burn now that Zoom isn't here to focus on." He said, half-true, conveniently leaving out the part that his current fidgeting is due to those strange feelings he just experienced and not from a lack of super evil in his life.

He really needed to extract himself from this situation pronto; he stood up and shoved his shaky hands in his pockets, "I'll think on it. I'm gonna go for a run and get these jitters out of my system." He said making his way to the door. "Those cuffs look great by the way. Singh will be happy for them." He said on his way out, blushing slightly at the mention of them and stealing a glance back at his friend who was... no?... blushing too? Nah, he was imagining things now. Had to be.

~

Cisco couldn't help but notice the slight burning in his cheeks from his friend's praise. He smiled to himself and turned back to his work, thinking through the conversation they just had.

 _'"Wouldn't you like to know"... What the hell was that? Where did that come from? Was that just me trying to make a ridiculous joke and failing epicly or did I mean it? Did I **want** Barry to know? Know **what** exactly? There wasn't anything **to** know! Was there? Oh God, this is getting out of hand.' _ He shook his head and tried to refocus back on the task at hand, then...

" **BAH**!" came a loud yell behind him and two hands on his shoulders. He shrieked a squeaky ' _¡Dios mío!_ ' and then his eyes unfocused and he vibed something he'd never seen before... Something that made his heart skip a beat and his mouth suddenly dry.

He came back to the present and whipped around to see Barry in their suit, laughing with a huge smile on his face and two thumbs up, "Timeline restored!" He said triumphantly before zipping out in a streak of lightning with a laugh trailing behind him.

Cisco clutched his still rapidly beating heart and said "guess so..." to himself. He sat stunned for a moment, not sure what to do or think.

He made a mental note to buy bug spray. It seemed they would be needing it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time lurker, finally posting something of my own. I have an idea to make this into a bigger story but bear with me while I figure out this process. :) Hope you like this adorably awkward first installment. Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated! 
> 
> Also, "Mano" is Puerto Rican slang for brother or dude in this instance.


	2. Nope, Sorry, Can't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry tries to rally the Central City crew for a mini-vacation, but no one can commit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit more set-up. They still haven't left Central but plans are being made!  
> I also got a little too excited about the geeky science-y stuff and maybe got a little wordy with the lab stuff, but I think it's neat, so there. hah Hope you like it!
> 
> Also thanks for the kudos and comments on Chapter 1! I really appreciate the love!

Barry sat in his room that night and tried desperately to go to sleep. He tossed and turned in his bed, uncomfortable with every position, his mind racing. He couldn't get the damn handcuffs out of his head. Why was he so jealous? There was no one to be jealous of! Or jealous _for_! Cisco was his friend. No, one of his very best friends. His geeky science buddy who loved to nerd out with him over things that no one else cared for. His crime-fighting partner now that he was getting a grasp on his powers. And now that they had more downtime, his binge watching buddy.

He thought fondly about their last session at Cisco's, laughing as Cisco yelled at the zombie showdown that was happening on screen. "Yeah! Kill the kid! He's useless!" He remembered how horror stricken his friend looked when his favorite character seemed to die... again. Barry almost made a snarky comment about bad writing, but thankfully he didn't when he looked over and saw tears not only forming but starting to fall silently down his face. Barry appreciated how openly Cisco shared his emotions, finding strength in admitting he wasn't okay, even if it was only over a TV character.

He remembered looking around the room for a kleenex to offer, but finding nothing he pulled his sleeve up over his wrist and gently wiped the tears off his cheek. Cisco quickly moved to face Barry, shocked at the unexpected touch. Barry's exposed finger grazed Cisco's full lips when he did. He remembered how they both froze for less than a moment, his super speed allowing him to inflate the seconds and recall every detail. Their eyes locked, Cisco's wet and shocked and Barry's wide. His heart thumped in his chest suddenly and warmth bubbled up from his stomach. His finger froze, ever so lightly on Cisco's lip, gently pulling away with realization. Barry was almost sure he remembered Cisco leaning forward only a fraction of a centimeter at the loss of the touch. But he couldn't be sure now, not with his mind racing at Mach 3 while his body tried to sleep.

The moment ended as quickly as it began, with Cisco giving a small laugh and saying, "he'll probably be back after the hiatus. These directors really know how to tug your heartstrings, man."

Barry huffed loudly, frustrated not only at his racing thoughts but his over-energized body. He needed to get the stress out and maybe Cisco's idea of a vacation wasn't a bad one. He could use some time to refocus and think of ways he could help his city, without impending doom from a meta or a super evil villain breathing down his neck. In fact, the whole Flash Team could use a little R&R. He got out of bed and went to his laptop, his room now flooded in blue light as he searched for the perfect getaway. 

~

Cisco gave a long stretch and a yawn that turned into a bit of a yodel at the end, his usual morning routine when he was in a good mood. He finished all the cuffs the night before and borrowed a STAR Labs van to drop them off at the precinct. His good mood was mostly because of a job well done, but also because he managed to stop thinking about what he vibed the day before when Barry scared the living hell out of him. It came out of nowhere and felt oddly new. As if it didn't exist before, but something triggered the event. He didn't seem to be in any danger so he thought it wasn't worth a mention to anyone. If anything, he seemed to really be enjoying himself, even if he wasn't a fan of the outdoors. 

He shook his head to stop that train of thought and get ready for the day. Even though there wasn't anything pending on his to-do list, he'd always find a new project to begin or something to tweak after entering the lab. 

Jitters didn't sound like a bad idea on his walk to the bus stop, either. He popped in, ready and more than excited for his caffeine fix when he saw Barry standing at the back of the line. He took his chance and creeped up behind his tall friend and greeted him with a sudden and loud, "Morning, Barry!" behind his ear. 

Barry jumped, almost too fast for being in public, and turned to find Cisco almost doubled over laughing, hands on his knees. "Okay, it wasn't  _that_ funny."

Cisco could barely get the words out while he still laughed at Barry's expense, "Dude, yes, it was. You should've seen your face. You looked like King Shark came back to terrorize your morning coffee run." 

"Still not as funny as your squeaky shrieking, yesterday! I never knew a man could make those kinds of sounds." Barry teased. 

Cisco tried not to think about the fear the reminder put in him. "For your information, the Ramon family is very proud of it's men's acoustic abilities." He said, feigning pride and standing up a little taller. 

"Mhm, sure." Barry laughed. They both ordered their coffees in to-go cups and headed out of the cafe. 

Barry accompanied Cisco on his walk to the bus stop, even though it was in the opposite direction of the precinct. "Your jitters seem to be gone, still gonna take that vacation?" Cisco asked.

At the reminder, Barry's hands started shaking slightly again. Thankfully he had a coffee cup to occupy his nervousness. "Yeah, actually, last night I was doing some research on a fun place we could all go. At first I was thinking maybe a water park, but I don't think Caitlin likes swimming that much. Then I thought maybe Metropolis, they have really cool shopping and fun nightlife, something we could all do. But I'm not sure. I was just going to the precinct to talk to Joe about it and get his ideas." Barry looked to Cisco as he finished, he seemed to have a furrowed brow. 

' _Duh! We're **all** going. Why did I think it would just be us two?'_ Cisco was berating himself in his mind. He hadn't thought about the fact that Barry would want all of his friends to go on a trip with him, and not just Cisco. His heart beat a little faster when he noticed how disappointed he was at the realization. He took a swig of his coffee as Barry was finishing his spiel. "Metropolis could be fun. I know Caitlin's been wanting to check out the Medical Museum of Metropolis for awhile now." He offered up, trying to be helpful. "I can talk to her about it when I get to the labs." He said as the bus was rounding the corner. 

"Thanks, man. I'll swing by when I'm done at the precinct later today and we can make a better plan." Barry said, excited, clapping Cisco on the shoulder and then said goodbye, turning back toward the precinct. 

~

As he rushed into the CCPD headquarters, Barry couldn't help but wonder why Cisco sounded a bit disappointed after he told him about the vacation. It was his idea, after all. ' _Oh, well. Maybe everyone's in a weird funk this week.'_ He thought to himself, making his way to Joe's desk. 

"Hey, Bear," Joe said, not looking up from his computer, his face scrunched in confusion. He usually wasn't this focused on something.

"Uh, hey Joe. What's up? You look upset." Barry said, sitting against his desk.

Joe sighed and sat back in his chair, looking up at Barry. "Not upset, just in over my head. Cisco made these new cuffs for metas and I'm just trying to figure out the instruction manual. I need to know these things inside out; Singh wants me to be the one to teach the force how to use them." 

"Oh, fun." Barry said sarcastically. "They can't be that hard to use, though. They're just cuffs."

"They aren't, but if something goes wrong or someone doesn't know how to trigger the dampeners, it's my butt on the line. I'm the one with the badge after all." He said, wiping a hand over his face. 

"I see. Well I'll leave you to it, then." Barry said, standing up to go to his lab. "Oh," he said, turning back to face Joe. "Would you want to go on a little vacation this weekend? I'm trying to plan something for everyone to take a breather."

Joe just shook his head, engrossed in the techie's rambling 'instructions manual'. "I wish I could, Bear, but I really need to work on this and it could take awhile to catch everyone up to speed. You young kids go and have fun." He waved a hand in Barry's direction.

Barry was a little sad that Joe couldn't come, but he understood. The man liked his alone time on the weekends, anyway. "Sure thing, Joe. I'll see you later," he said as he turned toward his lab upstairs. 

~

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" 

"Thai, it is fellas!" Iris cheered happily, winning the where-do-we-get-lunch competition between her, Barry and Wally. 

"Ugh, fine. Anything for the little princess." Wally teased, striding past her, ready to get this gross meal over with. 

Barry laughed as they walked along the street on their way to Iris' favorite lunch spot. "It's not all bad. I think they have a kids menu. You could get chicken nuggets, Wally." Barry loved teasing Wally now that they were on good terms. The youngest West turned out to be a fun guy when he wasn't hating your guts. 

"Ha, ha, ha." Wally said in Barry's direction. "Maybe I will," he said, knowing full well that he definitely would. 

As they sat down and ordered their food, Barry remembered the reason he asked them all to eat. "Oh guys!" he said, a bit too excited. "I was thinking of taking a vacation this weekend. A short trip somewhere and it'd be really fun if we could all go. I was thinking Metropolis, but then also maybe Gotham, but Gotham is kinda scary right now. So maybe Star City? But we go there too often anyway." He was rambling now, trying to sell them on it. 

Iris laughed at his monologue before interrupting, "Oh, Barry, I'd love to, but I can't. My new editor is not as nice as my old one. Plus elections are coming up, and if I'm not around to write the big pieces, he'll give the assignment to someone else." She said, a small grimace on her face. 

"Yeah, I can't either." Wally chimed in, sounding disappointed, too. "I just started classes at the engineering school and I don't want to miss anything. The professors are having a meet and greet this weekend. Joe said it'd be smart to rub elbows a little." 

Barry deflated a little. First Joe, now the rest of the West's. He was really hoping they could all do something together. "Barry, don't give me that pouty look!" Iris chided. "Maybe some other time, but don't let us stop you! Take Cisco and Caitlin. They could use a break, too, I'm sure." she consoled. 

"You're right. I'll just have to send you all pictures of all the fun we're having." He teased, making fake touristy poses of him in various ridiculous scenarios. 

~

"I'm a doctor; I have no idea why I keep eating this stuff." Caitlin said as she grimaced at her Big Belly Burger, still picking up a fry. 

"Because you're human, and it's good." Cisco said, swiping one of her fries, as well. They were taking a break from their respective projects for a heart-stopping lunch. 

Caitlin saw Cisco's leg shaking up and down while he ate. Usually he was calm in the labs, especially when he didn't have a huge project and  _especially_ at lunch time. Using her mom-like powers she toed the line, trying to get information out of him. "How did those handcuffs turn out? Singh approved, didn't he?" She asked, with a slight softness to her tone. 

"Yeah, they're great. I gave Joe a rundown last night and he picked it up quickly." He said, slurping his soda. 

Caitlin found the Joe part hard to believe, but that wasn't what was bothering him. "Did Barry give you his antsy-ness? He was pacing around the cortex yesterday like a lost duckling," she said pointing at his shaking leg. 

Cisco stopped the shaking abruptly and gave a nervous laugh, "ha, no, no, w-why would Barry give me anything? That's ridiculous, Caitlin, you're ridiculous," he stuttered out, tucking his hair behind his ear.

She arched her brow immediately, usually she would step back after such a nervous outburst, but she was horribly curious. "What's gotten into you? You've been acting on edge ever since yesterday and now you don't even look like you're enjoying your triple-triple." 

Cisco gave her a look and took a long sip from his soda as he thought about his answer. It was so hard to keep things from Caitlin, she was like a sister to him, and still way better than any blood family he'd ever had. Eventually he put his cup down and turned to her. "Ugh, fine, but you can't mention this to anyone," he warned, with a finger in her face. 

Caitlin couldn't help a giddy smile as she nodded her head, proud of herself for always knowing how to crack Cisco's code. 

Cisco sighed and ran a hand over his face. He couldn't tell her everything, but he would tell her the gist. "Yesterday, I vibed something really strange off Barry when we were in my lab." 

Caitlin sat quietly, staring him down, waiting for more. 

"Aaaahhh, fine. It felt like it would happen really soon. But it was really... out of the ordinary." He said, waiting for her to say something. He knew she wouldn't until he said something of value. "We were alone, in a tent. We both had our shirts off," he stopped when he saw her eyes grow wide. "No, no, no! Not like that! I mean, I don't think it was, no, it wasn't. Duh. Why would it be?" He ended with another nervous laugh and looked to the ceiling for divine help from above. 

"Well, then what was it like?" Caitlin said, trying to hold in her apparent excitement and replace it with a look of doting concern. 

"We both had all these bug bites on us and even though it looked kind of painful, we were still laughing. We were helping each other put on some spray or something, even though Barry's bites were already fading." Cisco looked away from Caitlin and started playing with his food, unable to look her in the eyes. "I don't know, Caitlin. It wasn't really what was happening, it was how I felt. I've never been so comfortable and happy and excited all at the same time. And I haven't even lived it yet!" He let out a forced breath, "now that I know it will happen, I'll probably do something to mess it all up." 

He sounded defeated, which was so misplaced after his nervous excitement a moment ago. Caitlin wasn't having any of it. "Francisco Ramon, when have I ever heard of you giving up a challenge before it even begins?" she asked, putting her hand on top of his. "This gift you have is a double-edged sword, I get that. But instead of getting upset over your future feelings, why don't you take it into consideration. Like data, you know. Use your scientific mind to process those feelings and see what they mean to you. In a way, you're lucky. If I had a forewarning for my pain, I would have appreciated what I had more, and maybe coped a little better."

Cisco looked up at Caitlin who had the most loving look on her face. He gave a weak smile and nodded. "You're right. I can't let my vibes control me," he said. "I just wish I understood why I had those feelings. It's all so confusing." 

"If there's anything I've learned being a member of Team Flash, it's that only time will tell." She said, turning back to her burger grimacing. "And time is telling me to order something green next time we have lunch."

Cisco laughed at her wrinkled nose and stole some more of her fries. 

~

Later that day Barry zipped into the cortex to find Caitlin working on... something. It looked way beyond his pay grade. Cisco was at the computer working on some plans for new tech. "Oh, that looks cool," he said, placing his hands on the back of the chair Cisco was sitting in and leaning over to him to get a better look at the schematics. Caitlin looked up and saw Cisco blushing at the closeness of Barry, and Barry looking down at Cisco and not the complex plans on the computer in front of him. She understood immediately what was going on. These two friends of hers were so awkward, if there was any hope for them they would need a little push. ' _A feminine push_ ,' she thought as she got up from her work and headed over to them.

"Hey, Barry!" Caitlin chimed, coming over and sitting next to them both. "Cisco tells me you're planning a vacation?"

Cisco glared at her, scared because he knows her sing-songy voice always brings trouble.

"Yeah, actually!" Barry said excitedly. "I've been trying to think of the right place all day, but I still got nothing. Joe, Iris, and Wally all can't go, though. So looks like it'll be the three of us!" 

' _Oh, this is too easy._ ' Caitlin thought to herself. "While it is a great idea, I can't go either," she said, a small pout on her face that Cisco totally knew was fake. "Doctor McGee wants my findings on this project by Monday and I'm actually really excited to talk them through with her." While she wasn't completely lying, she was completely aware of what she was doing.

"Oh," Barry said, "that sucks. I was hoping the whole team could finally catch a break." He turned to Cisco, "Are you busy?" he asked, worrying his lip a little.

Cisco froze. When Caitlin said she wasn't going to come his heart started thumping in his chest at the implication. He was thrilled! This was what he wanted in the first place, right? At the bus stop he was so upset to think he wouldn't get this getaway with his bestie. But now it was real, the trip, the excitement, the moment he vibed... He was getting a bit ahead of himself. He needed to speak soon or things would get awkward.

"Yes!" he blurted. Barry gave him a sad look and then he thought about what he said, "I mean, no, no! I'm not busy at all! It was my idea anyway, right?" His nervous laughter was back, but the excitement in his voice and eyes were evident.

Barry was absolutely giddy. Finally, someone would go on this silly vacation with him, and that someone was Cisco! ' _Does it really matter so much that it's him?'_ Barry thought to himself. He didn't worry about it though, and enjoyed the excitement. 

Caitlin almost laughed out loud at how adorable the two were, smiling and laughing together about the trip they hadn't even planned yet. ' _Plan!'_ she thought. "Okay, so now that you finally have someone to go with you, where are y'all going?" Caitlin asked.

Barry turned back to her and began the same rambling spiel he'd given all day. This city, that city, waterparks?, maybe hiking? (Cisco shook his head), museum tours (they both shook their heads). 

Caitlin thought about it. She wanted to do everything in her power to help out her friend, well, both of them. "You guys need a break. Going to another city won't help at all. Too much stimulation. Why don't you go camping or something? You won't have to be around many people and you can really unplug, you know?"

Cisco turned beet red, which Caitlin didn't think he could reach that shade with his tan skin, but he proved her wrong. She just smiled as if she was unaware. 

"Hey, that's not a bad idea. My dad was telling me about this awesome national park he went to. Said it was so calm he felt like the only man on earth. Let's see," he said, pulling up his own chair and looking up the park on the computers. "Aw, man. It looks like there will be storms all weekend," he sounded a bit defeated.

Caitlin, being ever the romantic, just  _had_ to take it up a notch. "Well, why not go camping farther away? Cisco didn't you used to camp with your family on the beach somewhere?"

Cisco nodded, the memories coming back with mixed feelings. "Yeah, we would visit my family in Puerto Rico and go camping on the beach. We can't really go there though, I don't want to buy a plane ticket and my passport is expired." 

Barry looked back at Cisco, a bit too proud of himself. "Airfare? Passports? You act like you're not best friends with the fastest man alive. I can sneak us across the border any day." Yeah, he was too proud of himself.

Cisco just laughed at that. He never thought of that possibility, but he also had to laugh at Barry's horrible geography skills. "You do know that Puerto Rico is an island, right? I don't think you'd want to run on water for over 1,000 miles, with or without me on your back."

"Oh, right," Barry said, a sheepish grin on his face. "Then where? I'm getting antsy all over again just trying to figure this out." His hands slightly shaking were a telltale sign, but that didn't have anything to do with the image of Cisco holding on to him, piggybacking around the globe... not a thing. 

"Belize!" Caitlin nearly shouted. "Ronnie and I were thinking of going there for our honeymoon and I did a lot of research. It's so beautiful and the beaches are gorgeous there. I'm sure you guys could find a little cove somewhere on the shore to set up camp! You wouldn't even have to stay in a hotel or anything." She was already pulling up Google Maps and Images. 

"That sounds a bit... extravagant. Do we really need to go that far?" Barry asked, unsure but still gawking at the beautiful images she was showing him. 

"It doesn't have to be extravagant. It can be a bit rough and tumble, that makes it fun!" She looked over at the two of them and they had the most unsure looks on their faces. She really had to sell this if she was going to make things work out for Cisco. "Plus, you guys said you need a break from everything. Why not get as far away from everything as possible? Sometimes it's easiest to reconnect with yourself when you detach from your daily lives." 

Cisco knew she put that last spin on it for his sake. Barry, however, took that to heart. He'd been pushing away all of these feelings and weird thoughts that kept creeping up in his mind. Maybe he just needed to face them, and doing some soul searching on a pristine beach sounded like a great way to figure things out. 

The two boys looked at each other. Cisco had a small smile and gave a shrug to Barry as if to say, 'she has a point.' Caitlin always knew how to wrangle Cisco into any misadventure. Barry wasn't quite sold yet.

"It does sound great, but how am I supposed to run all of that way, with Cisco on my back _and_ all the gear we would need?" he asked the both of them. 

Caitlin just cocked her head to the side at that statement, "Really, Barry? You're asking the people who built you that suit, power-dampening handcuffs, an interdimensional portal between parallel universes, and have helped you travel through time, if we can figure out a way you can run to the beach with a person and camping gear on your back?" She, again, had a good point.

"Elementary, my dear Watson!" Cisco chimed, using a pen as a fake pipe and swiveling in his chair to pull up some schematics. "Remember when you asked me to fit your suit in a ring? I've been working on it sporadically. The tech isn't quite small enough yet, but I've almost figured out the shrinking part and the weight problem." He pulled up some blueprints and threw them up on the big screen. "This backpack I've been working on can compact and shrink up to 100 pounds of stuff and can do so for about an hour before it bursts open and makes my lab look like my childhood bedroom after my little cousins come visit."

Barry laughed at that. "Okay, so, what, we run for an hour and then take a break to repack all our stuff?"

"I can make some adjustments, but if we're looking to leave Friday morning, I could probably have it down to 3 hours compact time." Cisco said, eyes jumping around the computer screen as he made his calculations.

"Which wouldn't be a bad idea," Caitlin chimed in, "I don't think Cisco could handle a straight shot to Central America at Mach 2." It was her turn to dive into her computer, making her own calculations. "I'd say, to stay safe, Barry you should stay around 500 miles an hour and take a break every couple hours. If you leave early friday morning, you could have camp set up and already be cooking dinner before sundown!" She noticed the queasy look on Cisco's face. "Oh, I can make you a very powerful antiemetic, Cisco. You won't get any more motion sickness than if you were in a car the whole time." Caitlin sure was riding that scientist's high, happy to have a solution to every problem.

Barry just shook his head at the whirlwind of information. He couldn't stop the excitement threatening to beat his heart out of his chest. A beach vacation! With his best friend! How could this get any better? "Huh, so I guess we're really doing this?" He asked, turning to Cisco. The techie looked back at him with just as much energy and joy in his eyes, it just got a little better already. 

Cisco felt his heart skip a beat when Barry looked at him, a grin spreading across both of their faces. "Yeah, guess so!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're finally doing it, yay! Get ready for the most adorably awkward roadtrip!
> 
> Also, relevant XKCD: https://what-if.xkcd.com/66/


	3. Piggyback or Bust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally the show hits the road and the boys are on their way to the beach! Who knew roadtrips with your bestie could be so fun?

Cisco was down in the warehouse section of STAR Labs, testing out the capacity of his shrinking backpack. He almost had it right; using random tech parts and anything else he could carry with his own two hands, he stuffed the bag full, almost 150 pounds so far. He heard his phone bleep from the table and jogged over to check it. A message from Barry lit up his screen: ' _Hey, haven't heard from you since we made the plan. Meet at the lab, 9am tomorrow?'_

Cisco sighed, it was already Thursday night and they were leaving the next morning. He hadn't been avoiding Barry, per se, but he hadn't been seeking him out either. Taking Caitlin's advice, he was trying to process the damn feelings he had when he vibed. He spent the last few days pondering and berating himself. This couldn't be the first time he had those feelings around Barry, right? They had been friends for over two years now, been through alot together. Surely, they had moments where he was comfortable, excited, and happy all in one? The moment he saw, though, it felt so intense. He thought through other moments they had shared, trying to pinpoint another occurrence. 

There was the time he took Barry to see his first B-movie. "Really? They did this on purpose?" Barry had whispered in his ear, when the acting on screen was so bad there was nothing to do but cringe. He remembered the warmth of Barry's breath on his ear making him shudder a little bit and the hairs on his neck stand on edge. He was definitely happy and excited, but felt a bit uncomfortable because his pants seemed to be fitting a bit tighter and that was very unexpected. 

Then there was the time he forced Barry to watch the new season of The Walking Dead with him, even though he hadn't seen the first five. Barry really was a great friend, allowing Cisco to rant and rave about the show he knew nothing about, sitting there and listening attentively. Cisco immediately turned red when he remembered Barry wiping the tears off his face at one point. Such a kind, small gesture really meant alot to Cisco and he wasn't sure if Barry did it because he was such a great friend or some other reason he wasn't ready to consider. He couldn't help but remember the warmth of Barry's hand on his lips when he turned to look at him. He froze then just like he had in the cortex earlier that week. His body was telling him to do one thing while his mind was still trying to process what just happened. When Barry pulled his hand away, Cisco edged forward the slightest bit, then moved back, still having an epic duel between his mind and his feelings. As always, he tried to lighten the mood and quickly changed the subject.

He looked back at the text Barry sent. Of course they would meet tomorrow, but he had a lot to think about before then. What did he want? Was he sure once he knew, that he would do anything about it? It would be best to know how Barry felt before doing anything, right? His chest ached trying to come to terms with his feelings, when suddenly the backpack across the room exploded, sending pieces of tech flying across the warehouse, a motherboard narrowly missed his head when he ducked out of the way. He quickly grew frustrated with himself, ' _that's it!_ ' he thought. ' _No more thinking! No more Mr. Science Guy! I'm just going to do what my feelings tell me, even if my mind isn't in the game._ ' He nodded to himself, proud that he finally figured out a way to cope with his emotions: by just going with them. 

He looked around at the huge mess around him, broken tech everywhere. He should've thought that part through; he now had to either fix or replace all of this, not to mention get the backpack ready for the morning. He shot off a text to Barry, ' _Yep, yep. You bring the Jitters. ;D'_ Now that he figured out one problem, he had a long list of others to work on as he started cleaning up the tech shrapnel around him.

~

Barry sprung out of bed Friday morning, but not because he was late. In fact, he was up way earlier than he intended. He was just so eager to get this show on the road. He was also eager to see Cisco face-to-face. He felt like his friend had been ignoring him all week and the thought made him worried. He hadn't done anything to make him mad or freak him out, right? Barry secretly wondered if his enthusiasm was a bit too much when they finally set the plan in stone. He didn't want to scare Cisco away. Although, he still wasn't sure what he would be scaring Cisco away from or why his enthusiasm was so high to begin with. All he knew for sure was that when he looked into Cisco's bright eyes, he felt happy. It had always been that way, but recently it felt more intense, making his heart skip beats and his cheeks turn red without warning.

He buzzed around his room, putting off those thoughts till later. He still had packing to do (yes, of course he waited until the last second to pack). Streaks of red erupted in his room as he bolted from his closet to his bag, to the bathroom and back, throwing things together and not paying much attention to the contents. 

He was almost done, but couldn't step away from the mirror. He kept running his fingers through his hair, feeling compelled to have it perfect even though it would be ruined as soon as he darted out the door. His phone went off and he saw a text from Cisco, ' _Yo, I'm formally requesting a triple espresso Flash, unless you want dead weight on your back all day.'_ Barry chuckled at that and sent him a triple thumbs up, speeding out the door with his bag tossed over his shoulder. 

 ~

A plastic coffee cup suddenly appeared in Cisco's face, making him jump back at Barry's sudden appearance. "You really love giving me a heart attack, don't you?" He said, tired eyes focused only on the steaming hot drink in front of him. 

Barry laughed at that, unable to stop his eyes from scanning Cisco's outfit as he downed his drink. This was not his usual get-up of jeans and a quirky graphic tee. "What's this? Gearing up for your new big break as an Extreme Off Road Motorcyclist?" Cisco was covered head to toe in all black riding gear, complete with gloved hands and sturdy looking boots. A helmet was resting on a nearby table. Barry couldn't help but take in every detail, shocked at how great Cisco looked with the gear hugging his body just right; he looked ready for an adventure. 

"This," Cisco said, finishing his coffee with renewed energy in his eyes, "is  _my_ super suit, for the time being, that is." He gave a little twirl like he was on a catwalk, all sass and confidence. Barry couldn't help the flutter that started in his chest at the look in Cisco's eyes. "Did you expect me to hop on your back at 500 mph wearing my Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock shirt? I think not," he scoffed.

Barry chuckled at him, "Well, I think it's awesome. Definitely getting a good  _vibe_ from it." He gave a bright open smile, happy at his ridiculous pun. 

Cisco just rolled his eyes, "It's not done yet, though. Patent pending, ya heard?" He turned to gather some things off the nearby table. "Give me a hand, I'm almost done getting all the gear in the backpack."

Barry took the opportunity to show off and zipped back and forth from the table to the bag, scooping up everything useful looking and tossing it in, including his own backpack. He was amazed at how well the tech worked, all the gear seemed to be sucked into some vortex, disappearing into the vast darkness of the bag. Cisco smiled, "Man, I love you! This would've taken me so long to do," he said before he realized the words that came out of his stupid, stupid mouth. 

He turned away quickly, pretending to check the stats on the bag's readings while his cheeks flared as crimson as Barry's suit and he tried to calm his heartbeat. 

Barry was stunned by what he said. ' _He didn't mean it like that, right? Just a casual 'love you dude'. Yeah, no big, nah, no way.'_ Barry tried to calm his mind and finished the rest of his coffee. 

Cisco tried to change the subject as quickly as possible, "Oh, so go check out your suit in the cortex, I made a few adjustments for our trip." 

Barry zipped away and flashed back, dressed in his suit, cowl pushed back, before Cisco even finished his sentence. "What are these hook things on my back?" He asked, turning in circles trying to get a better look. Cisco didn't mind the view either, Barry looking like a puppy chasing his tail.  _'And what a tail'_ Cisco thought, his cheeks still burning. 

"They're called carabiners. I didn't think I could hold on to you long enough for us to get there, and seeing as I'd rather not go flying off of you in the middle of nowhere, I made a few adjustments. I modeled the idea after parachuters. When they take up newbies they strap them to the front of someone else and just go along for the ride." 

"So, what, I'm like your packmule now?" Barry asked, tossing some sass Cisco's way. 

"Hey, you knew what you were signing up for when we made this plan, mister," he said, putting a finger in Barry's face, playful defiance written on both of their faces. 

Barry couldn't help a little smirk at the incorrigible look on Cisco's face. He wanted to bite the finger that was wagging at him, just to spite him, of course.  

"Oh, my little adventurers! You guys look so cute in your outfits!" Caitlins voice rang from across the warehouse, making her way toward them. 

Cisco moved to strap on his backpack, "They're called super suits, Cait, not  _outfits_ ," he said, wiggling his gloved fingers at her. 

"Whatever you call them, you guys look great. Ready for an adventure!" She practically chirped with excitement for them. "Here, Cisco, take these and you should be good for the trip there and back," she said handing him a little pill bottle of the anti-motion sickness drug she concocted. 

He popped a few and tucked the rest into the backpack, tightening the straps around his shoulders and clipping a strap around his waist. "Ugh, these taste horrible," he said, looking back to her with betrayal on his face. 

"I never said I was a good cook!" She smiled back at him. 

He just rolled his eyes a little and nodded at her, knowing exactly how bad of a cook she was. "Alright, let's get this show on the road, Bear." He slipped on his helmet, flipping on his comms while Barry did the same with his cowl. "You hear me?" he asked quietly, flipping down his visor. 

"Loud and clear," Barry smiled at how adorable Cisco looked in his gear. He turned around and squatted a little for Cisco to hop on. 

Cisco hesitated slightly. He never put that much thought into the fact that there would be actual physical contact this whole time. Caitlin silently nudged him forward and he gave her a harmless, but cutting look. He clipped together all of his safety precautions and then hopped on Barry's back. His thighs rested on top of Barry's hips as he wrapped his legs around his waist. His arms instinctively came over and around Barry's shoulders, his chest pressing into the speedsters back. He gave a thought, before ultimately deciding to rest his chin on Barry's shoulder, their faces would've been touching if not for the bulky helmet. 

Barry stood up all the way, lifting Cisco with no problem; his superspeed really was almost magic. Regular Barry Allen wouldn't have lasted a second piggybacking anyone, much less all this gear.

His hands instinctively went behind him, cupping under the bottom of Cisco's thighs, hoisting him to a more comfortable position then ultimately keeping them there... for safety. Cisco gave a little squeak at the contact and the little jump Barry gave when pushing him up, knocking their bodies together in a surprisingly pleasant way. "This okay?" Barry asked quietly into his comms. Cisco just gave a little nod, unable to form words, his mind focusing on the feel of Barry's strong hands holding him up. He really needed to think about something else; this train of thought would not fly when his front was pressed up against Barry like this. 

"Ah! I'm so excited for you guys! Be CAREFUL and send me pictures! Bring me a seashell!" Caitlin said, then her eyes got big as she remembered something, pulling out her phone, "Now smile! Let's get a goodbye picture!" She fumbled getting her phone to the camera setting, acting just like a mom sending her kids off to the first day of school. 

Both of the boys panicked. There was no way a picture of this would end well for them; Barry was already imagining Joe and Wally having this ammunition for years to come. Cisco wasn't waiting around, "Go, Barry, go, go go!" He yelled, pointing towards the exit, a bit of a laugh in his panicky voice. 

Barry sped out of the door, both of them sending a "Bye, Cait!" behind them. 

~

As soon as Barry got out of the city and onto an open route, he kicked up to speed. Cisco's arms and legs tightened around Barry and his head buried closer into his neck, giving off a wary whimpering sound at the jolt of speed. "Everything okay back there?"

"Y-yeah," Cisco said, unsure, but gaining confidence. The wind rushing past him was terrifying and the sights blurred by faster than anything he'd ever experienced before, but hearing Barry's voice in his ears and feeling his hands holding him up made him feel safer. "You doing okay? Am I too heavy?" 

Barry shook his head a little, "Not at all. Going this slow feels like speed walking. I could keep this up for awhile. Can you navigate, though? I don't know where I'm going."

"Sure thing, man. You know I always get you there," he said and Barry could hear the little smirk in his voice. "I actually made a port for my phone in your back for the nav system and some tunes, too." He pulled his arms back from around Barry hesitantly, testing the strength of the carabiners to hold him in place. Everything looked okay and he pulled his arms back to tap on the screen.

"So, I've got a sound system now? Where did you put my blinkers?" Barry joked, making Cisco chuckle behind him. 

"Didn't really think we'd need them. Unless you know of some speedster highway out there, I doubt we'll have traffic problems." Cisco tapped the screen still, getting the nav program setup. "Oh, crap," he said under his breath.

Barry still heard it and slowed down a little. "What? What's up? You okay?" He asked, obvious worry in his tone.

Cisco shook his head, "No, no. Just, make a hard left. We're totally not going the right way." 

Barry laughed and did a 90 degree turn without slowing down. Cisco jostled on his back a little, the safety rig keeping him from flying across the dirt, but he still gave a squeak and wrapped his arms snuggly around Barry again, burying his head into his shoulder. " _¡Madre mía!_ Give a guy a little warning before you turn him to roadkill," he chided.

"I would never let anything happen to you," Barry said defiantly. "You would be the cutest roadkill I've ever seen though." He blushed, shocked at his statement, but not taking it back.

Cisco turned red and went back to tapping his screen. Music started playing in their comms, loud but not too loud that they couldn't still talk. "I made some playlists!" Cisco said over the music. "Nothing in particular, just a bunch of fun stuff. If you hate it let me know."

"I'm sure it's great. I love this song anyway." Barry said, bobbing his head a little to the tune of  _Life is a Highway_. He chuckled at how cheesy Cisco could be, and they both sang along, Barry nailing every note and Cisco squawking like a deaf songbird. 

They stayed that way for a few hours, singing along to random music. Cisco gave belated navigation consistently, distracted by the music and their laughing, the flashing scenery, and the warmth of Barry beneath him. Barry was enjoying what felt like a stroll to him, Cisco's corny jokes and hit-or-miss taste in music keeping his momentum up. Eventually they had to take a break to recalibrate the backpack and let Cisco stretch his legs while Barry caught his breath. They stopped in the middle of the woods, a short walk from a lonely looking pit stop. Cisco unhooked himself and jumped off, immediately missing the feeling of Barry's warm hands on his legs. He stretched, taking off his bag and jumping around a bit, wiggling his legs to get the feeling back in them.

When he turned around, Barry was laying on his back, body splayed like he was ready to make a snow angel in the dirt. Cisco enjoyed the view. Barry's long, lean body sprawled out in front of him, all of his curves and angles hugged by his suit.  _'Our suit'_ he corrected himself. He drank in the image as long as he could until Barry opened his eyes and popped his head up, all of the color drained from his face. "Bars," he said weakly, "Energy bars... please," he pleaded, his hand shooting up towards Cisco with a 'gimmee' motion and his head falling back to the ground. 

"Oh crap," Cisco said, rushing to the bag to fish out the stash he packed. Barry's blood sugar must've bottomed out when he stopped moving and Cisco was worried. He didn't have all the medical gear and IV bags needed to restore his health if it were to get worse. He found the bars and brought three over to Barry, unwrapping one and sticking it straight in his mouth, bypassing his outstretched hand. 

Barry's brow furrowed at the unexpected intrusion and gave a muffled "umf" when Cisco shoved the stale tasting energy bar in his mouth. He chewed anyway, scarfing down the first two and nibbling on the third. He sat up and took a deep breath, accepting the water Cisco held out for him. He hadn't noticed his friend sitting by his side the whole time, a worried look on his face. 

"How are you doing?" he asked softly, taking his sleeve and wiping the sweat from Barry's brow, not taking his eyes off the speedster the whole time. 

Barry warmed at the attention and leaned into the contact a little. Cisco really cared for him. He always knew that, but seeing it so apparent on the other man's face made Barry feel special. 

"I'm okay, promise. Should've had a bigger breakfast," he laughed it off, taking a swig of the water. "Let's get something _good_ to eat," he suggested, eyeing the energy bar wrappers in his lap. 

Cisco brightened at the good news, happy they didn't have a medical emergency on their hands with Caitlin so far away. "I think the pit stop has a little diner in it. Here, change into this and we'll get something greasy."

Cisco recalibrated the backpack while Barry changed out of his suit. He took off his own jacket, stuffing it in the bag with his helmet. Barry laughed when he saw the shirt Cisco was wearing.

"Oh my god, where did you find that? Oh wait, no, don't tell me you had it special made," he covered his mouth, laughter in his eyes. 

Cisco puffed his chest out and held out the bottom of the white tee shirt. In big black letters across his chest it said, "PIGGYBACK OR BUST" with a pig riding a Harley Davidson. "Get it?!" He asked excitedly, "The  _pig_ is riding a  _hog_!" He was way too proud of himself. 

Barry rolled his eyes and just started walking toward the diner. Cisco caught up with him, laughing and punching him on the shoulder, running past him to the diner. Barry let Cisco beat him in their unspoken race and also let him pick the booth in the corner.

The diner was charming if not run down. It looked like it was from the Great Depression, and hadn't had any updates since then. The booth was hardwood and not horribly uncomfortable, decades of customers wearing down the edges. The table they sat at was sticky, but something about the place told them that every surface was sticky. The classic checkered floors were once a bright black and white, but time had dulled their lustre and chipped at their edges, leaving little triangles and oddly shaped portions of foundation peeking out from underneath. The walls were all windows, which was nice, letting in lots of light and allowing you to take in the view of the forest surrounding the establishment. At the main counter sat two old men, nursing cups of coffees and empty plates. They mumbled to each other when the pair walked in, but returned to glaring at the television and grumbling to one another. The one waitress behind the counter was a very old, portly woman, who, despite her white wispy updo and shaky hands, had bright eyes and a little spring in her step. She finished wiping down one of the milkshakes machines and then made her way over to the pair, scooping up her tiny notebook on the way.

"Well, well, what brings you two young handsome men to my diner?" she asked with a kind smile on her face and joy in her eyes. "It's a sight for sore eyes, I tell ya. The only mugs I've seen all day are those two old geezers over there." She threw a thumb over her shoulder, the two men perking up at the mention, but then quickly turning back to their sparse conversation. 

Both Barry and Cisco gave the woman a genuine smile, loving her attitude and snark. "We're just camping close by," Cisco lied, "We heard so much about this place that we had to come see for ourselves." He flashed one of his patented Cisco smiles, brightening his whole face. Barry's heart fluttered at his friend's warmth, always ready to share his joy with the world. 

The lady was obviously pleased with the compliment, getting a bit bashful, "You heard right, dear. What'll it be then? We got just about anything you'd find at a place like this," she said with a small smile.

Cisco ordered a burger and a shake and Barry ordered 3 of 'Dot's Special', which was apparently every breakfast food they had in the place. The old lady gave him a look when he ordered so much, but wrote it down anyway with a shrug and a comment about "growing boys."

The food came and was to die for. Cisco groaned when it was over, looking down at his empty plate. "Seriously, Barry, if I had super speed I would zip over here for lunch every. day. Forget Big Belly Burger," he said, pushing his plate away and slurping down the rest of his shake.

"Maybe if you ask nicely I'll treat you once in awhile," Barry grinned, resting his hand on top of Cisco's absentmindedly. 

Barry froze when he realized what he had done, not sure if he should pull his hand away or casually keep it there. 

Cisco froze for a moment, but remembered his resolution he made the night before. Barry's hand on his felt... right. It was warm and big, calloused from his fights. He didn't want him to take it away, and instead of debating what he should do, he just acted. Intertwining their fingers, he smiled, a blush growing rapidly across his face and looked up at Barry. 

Barry had his head down, eyeing their hands, but not moving his away. His blush was spreading from his cheeks, down his neck and under the collar of his shirt. He looked up slowly and met Cisco's eyes. He had a hesitant smile on and a nervous excitement in his eyes. Barry didn't say anything, just smiled back and enjoyed the feeling of Cisco's hand in his.

They both jumped, fingers still woven together on top of the table, when a large man bursted into the diner, a small girl of about seven trailing behind him. "Daddy! My game won't work! Daddy! I can't see anything!" She whined quietly. The large man, gruff and stocky, walked toward a booth passing up Barry and Cisco on the way. He eyed the newcomers and grimaced at their holding hands. His daughter noticed too and didn't say a word, her eyes widened at the sight. 

Barry immediately felt self-conscious about it. He had never experienced any negativity towards him about his sexuality. He was lucky to be a part of the West family, Joe and Iris accepting his orientation without difficulty or fanfare. Central City was pretty progressive, as well, and no one seemed to care or really have time to care about what anyone else was doing. He almost took his hand away, a small frown on, when Cisco tightened his grip. Barry looked up and Cisco had a calm, determined look on his face.

Of course Cisco was upset. The first time he and Barry do  _anything_ affectionate, this jerk has to come by and rain on their parade.  _Not today,_ Cisco thought. He brought an umbrella. 

Dot, the older waitress, came over to their table and dropped off their check. She noticed how the rude man had acted and made sure she was loud enough for him to hear when she said, "Y'all come back, darlin. It's not every day we get nice folk like you around here." She picked up some of their plates and gave a little wink before going back to the kitchen. 

The little girl heard the comment and turned to look at the pair. She turned to her dad and asked why they were holding hands, "They're boys, daddy." She didn't have any malice in her tone, just curiosity. Barry supposed living out this rural didn't provide many opportunities for her to learn about other orientations, and her dad definitely didn't seem the type to teach her, either. 

The dad grunted, "Just ignore them. They don't know what their doing." 

The answer  _infuriated_ Barry. He almost wanted to sonic punch the man from across the room. He knew  _exactly_ what he was doing, well, not _exactly exactly_ , but he was very proud of it. He balled his other hand into a fist and tried to calm himself down. 

Cisco let go of his hand, which caused Barry's stomach to drop. He looked up and saw Cisco get up out of the booth and calmly walk over to the man and his daughter. Barry was terrified; he had no idea what Cisco would do.

He gave a big, bright smile and introduced himself to the little girl, "Hi, I'm Cisco!" he said happily with a small wave. The man glared at him, bristling at his audacity and almost got up when he saw Dot come out from the kitchen, staring him down with her arms folded. He crumpled back, grudgingly and watched warily to see what Cisco would do. 

"I heard that your game wasn't working? Can I take a look?" He asked the girl nicely.

She looked at her dad, who gave a small nod, and she perked up and handed Cisco an old GameBoy Color. 

Cisco turned it over, popping out the back and revealing the wires on the inside. He picked up a steak knife sitting nearby and tweaked a few screws, then replugged some loose wires. He popped the console back together and handed it over. The girl turned it on and her face lit up when the screen came to life and her game was saved. She turned back to Cisco and gave him a little hug around the waist, "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" She squeaked, then turned back to her game, frantically pressing buttons. 

The man just looked at Cisco and gave a small nod. "Have a great day!" Cisco chirped before turning and placing cash on the counter for Dot, then grabbing Barry's hand and walking confidently out of the diner. 

Barry's mouth gaped wide open. He had no idea what to say the whole walk back to their clearing. He let Cisco lead them, holding onto his hand like a lifeline. 

When they finally stopped to change back into their suits, Barry spoke up, "How did you... why did you...You...You're amazing." He finally landed on, looking into Cisco's eyes and feeling warmth radiate all over him. 

Cisco smiled and gave a small shrug. "I've had to deal with a lot of negativity before. The best way to face it is to kill them with kindness." 

"I never knew..." Barry started, apparently unaware of the hardships Cisco has gone through, but then chose a different route, "You're something else, Mr. Ramon." He said, pride swelling in his chest. 

"You're not so bad yourself, Allen." Cisco blushed a little and turned to get them geared up for their next session of running. 

They quickly changed, securing the bag on Cisco, and then Cisco on Barry. This time they fit together like two puzzle pieces, no hesitation left in them. After securing their safety precautions, getting the nav setup, and some light music going, they were off, speeding down back roads and through open fields. 

They chatted for a while, speculating about the topic of the older men's conversation.

Barry insisted they were arguing about the price of watermelons, "these days. I swear, Tommy, used to you could get a whole patch for a dollar! Now you get a sliver for five and they tell you be grateful!" 

Cisco was more than persistent they were arguing over an old love triangle from the 40s. "Becky Lou was my gal and you stole her out from under me, ya no-good thief!" "Her name was  _Betsy_ Lou and she was rightfully my date!" 

They went on like this for about a half an hour, until the conversation faded and they hummed along to the music, watching the scenery pass by. "Just keep going this direction till we stop again, Bear." Cisco said, stifling a little yawn. He rested his head on Barry's shoulder, snuggling closer if that was even possible, and tightening his grip around Barry's chest. 

It wasn't long before Barry could hear the soft snoring coming through the comms and feel Cisco's dead weight on his back. He was grateful for those hooks right about now. He didn't wake him, though. Cisco stayed up so late the night before getting them ready for this trip and was so awesome at the diner back there, he deserved a little nap. That and Barry really loved the sound of his tiny snoring in his ears. 

A few hours later Barry decided he could use a little break and found another clearing in a small patch of woods. He didn't want to wake Cisco yet, so he carefully sat on the ground and tried to unhook him. He couldn't reach the hooks and eventually gave up. Carefully he removed Cisco's helmet and watched as his long hair spilled around his face. Barry tucked a few locks behind his ear and felt Cisco nuzzle in closer to his neck. He sat on the ground, arms folded over his knees, head resting on his arms. Cisco was still curled around him, sleeping like a baby. Barry closed his eyes for a moment and enjoyed the feeling of being close to his friend. 

Moments later a harsh beeping sound erupted from behind them. Barry perked up, unable to get to his feet and looked to see where the noise was coming from. Cisco nodded his head upward, confusion on his face, smacking his lips as he yawned a little. He finally registered the beeping sounds, they were getting faster and faster by the second. Panic spread across his face and he let out a "No, no, no, no" as he tried to get the backpack off of him before- 

 **BOOM,** "Ahh!"  **THUD** , "Umf!" "Oww!" Then a low hiss. The backpack had erupted, projecting the boys forward and into a nearby tree. They both groaned at the base of the tree, lying on top of one another, still hooked together. Cisco tried to right them and accidentally placed a hand on Barry's ass, giving a small squeeze with his push. "Oops," he said under his breath, turning a deep red. He unhooked them quickly and made sure they were both intact before looking around. 

" _Ay de mí..."_ Cisco mumbled, taking in the disaster in front of him. All of their gear was spread everywhere in the clearing. The tent was in the tree branches, his clothes were scattered around, Barry's bag was 20 feet away down a corridor of trees. 

He turned back to Barry, who was looking around with the same look of awe on his face. When he turned to look at Cisco, he just began laughing hysterically.  _Of course_ this would happen to them. They're too disaster prone to escape the likes of this. Cisco joined in the hysterical laughter and helped them both to their feet. 

Barry stretched some and cracked some bones before surveying the area in front of him. Cisco had started gathering the items close to him, scooping up the bag and recalibrating it. Barry zipped around, gathering all the items he saw and depositing them in front of Cisco who was methodically placing them all back. When he was done he came back and helped stuff everything back in, chuckling at their misfortune. When the bag was rezipped and strapped back onto Cisco, they both looked at each other and smiled, shaking their heads. 

Barry was the first to speak up, "We don't have much farther. One or two more hours tops. You wanna just power through?"

"You're the one doing all the heavy lifting, here. If you're up for it,  _vamos_." 

Barry nodded and turned his back to Cisco who jumped back on, fastening everything back into place. He gave Barry his first directions, realizing they had already crossed the border a long time ago and he never noticed. He then remembered he was probably sleeping when they did. "Hey, why didn't you wake me up? I'm like the worst co-pilot, falling asleep on you." 

Barry gave a small shrug, "Your snores are really cute. I couldn't pass up the opportunity." Cisco smiled at that and Barry could hear it through their comms. "And you're not the  _worst_ co-pilot. But there's definitely room for improvement. We are going the right way, huh?" He joked. 

Cisco gave a forced laugh at the taunt, but checked the navigation anyway, "Actually.... turn to the right like 45 degrees." He said, finishing with a small nervous laugh. 

They talked lightly for the rest of the trip, sometimes falling into a comfortable silence. Barry keeping pace while Cisco rested his head on his shoulder and watched the scenery flash by. It wasn't long before they were in tropical looking forests and red clay dirt roads. Barry was slowed a little by the thick brush, which was for the better when he finally made it out of the trees and burst out onto the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. 

When they came to an abrupt stop, Cisco looked up, flipping up his visor and Barry removing his cowl. They both took in a sharp breath at the pristine, fairytale-like view infront of them. Cisco gave a big "Yeah, baby!" before planting a smack of a kiss on Barry's cheek and hopping off of him. "Piggyback or bust!" He howled, ripping off his gloves and digging his fingers into the sand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh, you have no idea how fun this was to write! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Comments and kudos are super appreciated!


	4. Campfire Stories and Nightswimming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barriers slowly break down and stress begins to melt away as Barry and Cisco settle into jungle life.

Barry and Cisco both took in the breathtaking sight around them in their own way.

Barry stood, feet planted in the sand, dumbfounded at the beauty around him. His mouth hung wide open with a slight smile creeping on the corners, eyes wide scanning the view and taking in every last detail and color. The warm, white sand at his feet gave way to a 10 foot very gradual slope to the shoreline where the crystal clear, vibrant blue waters were lapping lightly at the earth, giving off small waves of white foam, only for the foam to dissipate into the wet sand or rejoin the rainbow of blues in the gulf before him. Farther into the waters the bright blue of the shore lazily shifted to a deeper and deeper shade, ending in a dark indigo off in the distance. Barry could see even from where he stood that the water remained shallow and bright, reflecting the sun and revealing the rippled sand beneath, for nearly 60 yards out. He could see patches of mini-islands off in the distance and made a mental note to check them out.

Looking to his sides he noticed the shoreline to his left bent farther into the water, the tree line following and ending abruptly, creating a peninsula of sorts. The coconut trees and other tropical vegetation was an array of greens and thick, with only a few palms sprinkled closer to the waterline. To his right the shore stretched off for a mile or so before it sloped up suddenly and ended in a little drop-off cliff, obscuring his view from searching any further. This beach was pristine, untouched, and he couldn't hear a voice or even see a single boat in the water. 

The one voice he did hear was Cisco's, of course.

The techie had ripped off his gloves moments after arriving, digging his fingers into the warm sand all around them. The rough, yet silky feel of the sand running through his fingers was pure bliss. Next to go was the backpack and his jacket, flung off in uncoordinated haste and left on the ground. He sprung to his feet, bouncing on one foot, then the other, yanking off his boots and socks. His eyes were locked on the gorgeous water, taunting him just out of reach. He sprinted into the baby waves, kicking up foam and spray as he made contact with the water. He couldn't help a laugh at the warmth of the water around his ankles, then his calves and knees as he waded deeper and deeper, splashing the surface with his hands and then ultimately flopping down into the water with a grand splash and soaking himself. He flipped around for a short moment, until he noticed sealife darting by his feet. He stilled until the water followed suit and gave off a glassy look, allowing him to see small colorful fish flitting by, spooked by his arrival. He decided to leave them be for now and retreated back to the shore. 

"Barry, this water is amazing!" He called over his shoulder, unaware of the trance-like state his friend was in. Cisco ran across the sand, flicking his head side to side to get the water out of his hair and face. He only succeeded in getting small strands stuck to his skin, but he didn't care because he spotted a coconut tree. He quickly ran over and delighted in its height, seeing a bundle of fruit hanging precariously at the top. He tried to figure out a way to get down a piece of fruit before remembering that ' _I have freaking superpowers'._ He placed the palm of his hand on the trunk of the tree and gave off a low, deep vibe into the core of the tree. The huge leaves at the top shook lightly and the coconuts jiggled in response. He kicked it up a notch and the trunk itself rumbled and he saw a few pieces of fruit shake above him and then pop off, soaring to the ground. He jumped out of the way, one fruit landing nicely on the sand with a dull thud and the other hitting a small rock nearby and cracking almost down the middle. He scooped up the two halves and saved some of the milk before the sand claimed it. Smiling to himself, he took a sip and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head at the sweetness. 

Barry was awoken from his happy trance by Cisco running up to him and thrusting half of a coconut in his face. "Barry, oh my god, this is an orgasm in your mouth!" Cisco shrieked, nearly shoving the whole fruit in his mouth. Barry giggled nervously at the thought and took the fruit from Cisco, sipping at the milk and having nearly the same reaction. He let out a deep moan, eyes closing at how pure and sweet the fruit was. 

Cisco bit his lip at the sound of Barry's apparent pleasure and stored that into his memory bank for later. "Isn't this place just amazing?" he finally asked.

"Too good for words," Barry said, looking Cisco straight in the eyes and smiling, sipping more of the coconut milk as if he were the suavest man on earth. Something about the unapologetic beauty of the nature around him and seeing the spark it put in Cisco gave Barry confidence. He wasn't feeling as hesitant or nervous around his friend as he had in Central City. Not to mention the earlier handholding gave him a huge confidence boost. He still didn't know where they stood or what exactly was meant by the small gesture of affection, but he was going to run with it. It was what he did best after all. 

Immediately Cisco grew bashful, cheeks burning and looking down at his feet. He looked back up suddenly when he noticed Barry's feet give way, passing out likely from exhaustion. Thankfully he was quick to grab his friend who looked like he needed some more energy bars, a nap, or both. "Woah, there," Cisco said, catching Barry's shoulders and moving him to sit in the sand. He didn't let go of Barry's arm until he got a response from the speedster to know he was okay. 

"I said I wasn't your packmule," Barry said in response to Cisco's exclamation, lifting tired eyes and a weak smile up to his concerned friend. 

He just shook his head in response, smiling to himself as he turned to pick up his abandoned things and fish out his tablet. He put the coconut back in Barry's face, "eat some of this, it's tastier than the energy bars, at least." 

Barry accepted it and took a huge bite, eating it slowly and enjoying the taste. He furrowed his brow when he saw Cisco tapping away, sliding the backpack on. "Thought we were supposed to be unplugged?" He asked softly, still feeling weak.

Cisco nodded, looking up and giving a small reassuring smile. "We are. I just may have hacked into the Federal Government of Belize's version of a Parks Department." He said with a shy smile. "I figured we could use some of their data on the land and get a better idea on where to camp out." He tapped a bit more and then held up the tablet to show Barry. "We'll need fresh water to drink, cook, and bathe in. Ideally somewhere not too far from the beach front, but also not on the shore. Winds can pick up at night, so having the cover of the tree line is essential. Also, I tried to look up any areas known to be dense in large predators or really any packs of animals. I don't want to be food for anything, but I also don't want to mess with any animal's traveling patterns or find ourselves in the middle of a mating ground for monkeys." 

Barry gave a small laugh at the last part. "Don't want all the attention, huh, Cisco?" He joked, elbowing his friend lightly in the side. 

"Ha, ha, very funny," he said rolling his eyes. "Come on, let's get a move on. The spot I picked isn't far from here and you look like you could use some rest." He stood up, tucking away the tablet and holding out a hand to help Barry to his feet.

Barry accepted, and pulled himself up. When he tried to take a step forward his legs turned to jello and he almost face planted again. Cisco pulled him by his hand and scooped his other arm under Barry, keeping him from falling by going with the momentum and dipping him down like they were dancing. They locked eyes, Barry shocked at Cisco's surprising strength; he licked his lips as his eyes flicked between Cisco's bright brown eyes and his big, soft looking lips. His dark, wet hair was hanging down by his face, a few droplets of ocean water tickling Barry's cheek. Cisco's heart raced at the closeness of Barry's lips to his own, feeling the strangest electric tingle fill the space between them. He wanted so desperately to close that gap and could feel the warmth of Barry's breath on his skin, making the hairs on his neck stand on end. Cisco could see the exhaustion written on Barry's face, however. He decided now was not the best time to try anything new, especially unchartered territory. They stayed like that for a moment before Cisco cleared his throat and righted Barry, keeping an arm around him to hold him up. 

"Guess I need to work on my endurance," Barry said with a nervous laugh, leaning mostly on Cisco as they started walking towards their future campsite. "Thanks for helping me," he said, willing his tired legs forward.

Cisco gave Barry a little squeeze, "It's the least I could do after you running us the whole way here. Plus I get to show off my **incredible** **strength** ," he joked, his voice getting gruff and deep at the end, mocking Heatwave's voice most likely. 

Barry was a bit shocked at Cisco's strength, actually. He never really put much thought into the techie's abilities, but now that he did it made sense. They had been practicing together, honing in on Cisco's powers, for over a month now and it was starting to show. Cisco's hard, lightly muscled arm felt warm against Barry's back and his wide hand felt sure, holding Barry up around the waist, fingers splayed over Barry's stomach. The contact gave Barry the most unrelenting fit of butterflies. 

They walked for about fifteen minutes, half of that time spent trekking through the brush, not without difficulty. A few times Barry got caught in some vines or a tree trunk and had to throw his arms around Cisco to keep himself from falling. Each time he did, he enjoyed the feeling of Cisco's wet body pressed up against his. Barry could feel the hard pecs that were beginning to form on Cisco through his wet shirt, which was currently sticking to his skin, showing off the curves and lines of his torso. Cisco didn't seem to mind the closeness at all. He always held Barry tightly to him, until he was sure Barry was okay to try walking again, reluctantly letting him go, still keeping an arm around his waist. 

When they made it to the clearing Cisco scouted out, they had to do a double take. 

The freshwater Cisco had picked up on the data wasn't just a tiny stream inkling through the forest ground. Before them lay a freshwater pool, the size of a large jacuzzi, with a small cavern in the back corner. In front of the cavern's face was a rushing waterfall, falling from almost 20 feet up. The small cliff appeared out of nowhere and was made of large dark stone and rifts of red compacted clay. Dark green vegetation clung to the side. At the opposite end of the pool from the waterfall was a baby stream, trickling the run off water towards the shoreline. 

They both gawked at the beauty, completely in awe of their luck. Looking to each other, they just smiled, not needing words in that moment. 

Cisco walked them closer to the pool and sat Barry down on the edge of the water. He ran off quickly and disappeared down a small path that led behind the sheets of falling water. He came back out at a jog with a smile on his face. "I found the perfect campsite for us," he said, unable to hide his joy, helping Barry back to his feet. He walked them down the tiny path, the sound of the rushing waters filling their ears and leaving a refreshing mist in the air. They continued into the cavern deeper and deeper, until they ended in a cubby. Barry sat down against the cool stone walls and looked up. The stone looked like it had been split from a possible earthquake and allowed him a clear view of the sky above, spilling dim yellow sunlight on his face. He closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. They finally made it and he could have some rest now. 

Cisco tossed a rolled up blanket in Barry's lap from across their little cave, "Here, you take a beat. I don't want you needing medical attention on me," he said, also tossing over an energy bar for good measure. 

Barry smiled at Cisco's care, laying down and bunching the blanket under his head. He unwrapped the energy bar but was only able to get one tiny bite down before he fell into a deep, comfortable sleep. The sounds of Cisco humming quietly to himself as he shuffled around their dwelling, setting up the campsite with their gear, was Barry's lullaby.

~

The sound of a cozy crackling drifted into Barry's mind. The smell of something cooking made his nose perk and his stomach give a deep growl. He peeped his eyes open lazily and took in the scene before him. The sunlight was gone and stars speckled the small stretch of sky he could see from within their cavern. Turning his head he saw a good sized fire beginning, casting a chorus of red and orange shapes dancing on the stone walls. There was a small tent set up close by, the flap zipped tight to keep out the inevitable bugs. Their gear lay piled neatly against the far wall, a tarp wrapped underneath and around it to keep out bugs, animals, and the weather. The smell came from a makeshift spit Cisco fashioned. He was currently roasting some meat and vegetables over the fire.

That's when Barry finally got a glimpse of his best friend. Cisco squatted on the opposite side of the fire, poking and prodding the wood and embers to life. He had changed into yellow swimming trunks and a blue button down short sleeve shirt, left unbuttoned for the warmth. His hair was dry now and tucked behind his ears, looking a bit disheveled. Barry found the look endearing, taking a moment to enjoy the orange light casting a soft glow onto his tan skin. He could see the hardness beginning to form in Cisco's chest from all of their training sessions, but it was the softness in his edges that made Barry blush. There was something intimate in that small exposure of skin that made warmth bubble in Barry's stomach. 

Cisco looked up from the fire to see Barry quietly watching him from across their camp. He smiled at him and quit poking the fire, satisfied with his work. Getting up and walking over to Barry, he handed him a bottle of water, "Bout time you got up, sleeping beauty."

Barry sat up and accepted the drink, "Why didn't you wake me up? I could've helped," he said, sleep still hanging in his voice. 

Cisco just shook his head a little, "You really needed the rest. Plus you kinda sorta talk in your sleep a little bit." 

Barry froze, panic setting in. He remembered Iris telling him through the years that he would occasionally murmur in his sleep or even have full-on conversations. The conversations hardly ever made sense: one recurring warning of a uranium atom chasing them down that always came up before his chemistry finals. Sometimes he would flat out ruin things, though, like Joe's surprise birthday party that was ruined during one of Barry's naps. Iris never let him live that one down. His imagination ran wild with all of the ridiculous and possibly very embarrassing things he could have said. He just groaned, hanging his head in his hands. "What did I say this time?"

"Nothing too damning," Cisco assured him, "Just something about polar bears in wet t-shirts?" 

Barry chuckled at that. He couldn't place the polar bear part, but he knew for sure where the wet t-shirt bit came from. He looked over at Cisco who was sitting next to him against the stone wall. Now that he was closer Barry could see the softness of his skin. He wanted desperately to reach out and feel for himself, imagining the warmth of Cisco under his fingers, feeling Cisco's breath quicken at his touches. He peeled his eyes away, not wanting to gawk. He noticed the food roasting over the fire, "Where did you get the food? I didn't know you could hunt."

"I don't," he replied with a scrunched nose. "My family always tried to teach me how to catch rabbits, but I could never bring myself to go through with it." He got up and turned the food over, poking the fire a bit more. "I was on the beach looking for more fruit trees along the tree line when a little boat floated by. Turns out there's a little village 30 miles north up the coast. The fishermen were going to trade some stuff a bit farther south and thought I was lost. They were really nice and we talked awhile, told them I was camping and doing some research on the plant life here. They offered me some of this for free, but I tossed them a few bucks and they went on." He took the food off from the fire and laid it out on plates, bringing one heaping plate over to Barry and sitting next to him. 

Barry took the plate happily, his stomach about to turn inside out from hunger. He began to shovel in the food, happy for anything even if it was just meat and potatoes. 

They ate quietly for a minute, Barry giving little moans of satisfaction under his breath, Cisco hearing every one and keeping his smiles to himself. 

"They told me this really cool ghost story," Cisco said, looking up at Barry expectantly. 

Barry looked back, waiting for Cisco to say something, "Go on..." He prompted.

"It's just... it's just really creepy is all." Cisco said, taking another bite and swallowing before going on. "Only because, you know, most ghost stories have to do with super old ghosts or things that happened a long time ago. This one, though..." he took another bite. Barry was more than sure it was for dramatic effect. "came to be just under two years ago." 

Barry's eyes narrowed. The past two years of his life had been a whirlwind (understatement of the multiverse). He was extremely skeptical that whatever was happening here was as creepy as some of the shenanigans going on back in Central. He gave a tentative, "mhm..." allowing Cisco to continue.

"So, almost two years ago, this guy from their village went for a trek in the jungle. He was searching for a patch of papayas that he heard were the sweetest and biggest of all of the jungle. His trek took him down paths unforged, through passages he had never seen or heard of before. After hours of trekking, he almost turned back around in defeat. Luckily, a few paces ahead, he broke through some brush and came across the largest natural papaya grove he had ever seen." Cisco had put down his plate now, and stood up, acting out the scene he was describing. Barry giggled to himself at his theatricality.

"The man stood in wonder," Cisco continued, looking around him in awe as if he were seeing the papayas himself. "The papayas were nearly the size of watermelons, but none bent a single branch." He hung an arm at the elbow, swinging lightly. "Their yellow shone as bright and golden as the setting sun. The man could almost taste their sweetness in the air around him. The allure was too much. Finally, he began to reach for one." Cisco outstretched a hand, his face looking towards the imaginary fruit as if it were the face of God. Barry tried desperately to stifle his giggles. "Right before his hand grazed the skin of the tempting fruit, a swarm of black mosquitos stormed upon him out of nowhere!" Cisco began flailing his arms around, screaming and running in absent circles around the fire. 

Barry could not hold it in any longer and let out a giant, boisterous laughter. Tears were forming in his eyes from the hilarity and he thought Cisco was almost done, but he was far from it. 

Cisco circled back around, falling to his back as if he had passed out. "The man was defeated, but not yet dead. He laid on the floor of the jungle, bitten all over and burning with their itch. The mosquitos disappeared behind a tree trunk and into the darkness and the man watched them go. From that darkness, a face peered out at him. The face of a young woman, eyes sad and lonely. He reached out to her for help," Cisco's hand shot up, anguish on his face, "but she only turned and disappeared into the darkness with the mosquitos. When the next morning came, the man awoke, the bites faded but the memories still there. He turned away from the holy fruit and ran back to his village." Cisco sat up and moved to sit back next to Barry. 

Barry gave him a skeptical look, "Hm..." he said, thinking it all over. "You don't think that maybe he just got bit one too many times and hallucinated all of that?" 

Cisco fervently shook his head, "No, man. Mosquitos don't just come out of nowhere like that. There's no protective hivemind like bees. Why would they pop out of nowhere  _right_ before he reached the fruit?" Cisco was excited, clearly loving this new story for his archives. 

Barry gave him the benefit of the doubt and just shrugged, "Maybe there's something weird there, but why would he actually see a girl there? It had to have been a hallucination."

"There were footprints, Barry!" Cisco said exasperatedly, then gave a squinty eyed look at him, "Were you one of those kids who overanalyzed Santa and ruined it for everyone else?" he asked, an accusatory finger shooting up. 

Barry pushed away the finger, letting his hand linger on Cisco's a moment before pulling it away, " _No,_ I'm just trying to think scientifically here, man."

Cisco rolled his eyes, "Anyway, the villagers think it's a jungle goddess, sent to protect their dwindling wildlife. A few others didn't believe the first man and have gone to the papaya grove, each of them came back with a strikingly similar story." Then his eyes brightened, "They even named her," he said, way too excited.

Barry grinned at that, knowing how much Cisco loved to name things. "Let me guess, mosquito girl?"

Cisco's face went flat and he gave a little harumph. "I mean kind of, but not really. It's in spanish. They call her _La Mosca_." His smile was stretching from ear to ear. 

Barry laughed at that. "Sounds super spooky, Cisco!" He teased a bit, only light heartedly. "Really, though, that's a great story." 

"I don't think it's just a story, though, man!" Cisco said, throwing his hands up. "I mean, it only just started happening, it's not some old Mayan legend. This is real, Barry, it's gotta be. Weirder things  _have_ happened you know," he said, signaling between the two of them.

Cisco was right, but how in the world could this new jungle legend come to be out of nowhere? There was no way this was a meta this far from Central, right? He just nodded his head and agreed with Cisco to appease him. "You're right, weirder things have happened. I mean what's the chances of coming across the magical papaya grove and this mosquito chick, anyway?" Barry said, mischief creeping up in his voice. "It's not like we'd actually run into--" he cut himself off, looking over Cisco's shoulder with a bit of panic on his face.

" _¡La Mosca!_ " Cisco shrieked, turning abruptly and jumping into Barry's lap. When he saw nothing behind him and felt Barry stifling laughter under him, he knew he had been duped... again.

"Barry Allen!" Cisco chided, hitting him softly on the chest, "You really are the worst! That's the last time I tell you any ghost stories!" Barry laughed and pulled his arms around Cisco, squeezing him tight for a reassuring hug. 

"No! You were so good at telling it! You should try out for Broadway if the science thing doesn't work out for you," he said with laughter in his voice. 

Cisco tried to look peeved, but he couldn't really, not in his current position. Sitting in his best friend's lap, hand on his muscular chest, laughter still on his lips, Barry's arms wrapped around him in a hug that he never wanted to end. "Whatever, man," he said, looking up at Barry, "you know you believe." 

Barry met Cisco's gaze and smiled lightly, "I believe you."

Suddenly they both realized their closeness and Barry felt overwhelmed by the abrupt change in the air. Everything felt charged, tingly, and he felt what he could only describe as a static attraction to the handsome man sitting in his lap. His body was telling him to go, move forward, do  _something_ , but his mind was frozen. This was all too much to handle and he didn't want to ruin whatever they had going for them by jumping any guns. He cleared his throat and signaled towards the way out. 

"Feel like a night swim?" He asked, a shy smile on.

Cisco brightened at the idea, getting up from Barry's lap. "You could use a dip. You kinda stink, dude." He chuckled, helping Barry to his feet. 

The speedster still had his suit on, sweat and dirt caked on his skin from their long journey. Barry suddenly felt sticky and gross at the reminder. He zipped over to their gear and quickly changed into his swimming trunks. Cisco watched him for a moment, but then he realized how creepy it was to watch your friend change. Even if they did hold hands before, and he may have  _accidentally_ felt up Barry's ass earlier that day. He blushed a deep red at the thought and turned, throwing off his unbuttoned shirt and sprinting for the little pool. 

Once he was comfortably submerged to his shoulders, Cisco sighed deeply into the cool water all around him. The next thing he remembered was Barry bursting through the other side of the waterfall with a  _wahoo!_ and landing with a splash near Cisco. When he came back up from the water Cisco's breath hitched a bit. He resurfaced head first, gliding up very close to Cisco, their faces inches apart. Barry's eyes were closed and he must've underestimated the size of the little pool. He flicked his hair side to side and wiped his eyes, opening them with a smile. Cisco froze at the closeness of Barry, his heart thumping in his chest, watching water drip down Barry's face and lips. Barry took his opportunity; giggling, he bounced up out of the water a bit and pressed down on Cisco's head, forcing him under. ' _What's a night swim without some rough-housing?_ ' he thought to himself. 

Cisco was completely taken by surprise, his mind had been drifting to _other_ places when Barry pushed him under. It didn't help now that he was face to face with Barry's amazing lightning abs. His mouth parted slightly, poised to place an open mouthed kiss on the flat of Barry's stomach, but water rushed in and he was reminded of his surroundings. To retaliate, he placed two firm hands on Barry's hips and drug him under the water, as well. 

Barry wasn't expecting the firm tug to pull him under so easily. Opening his eyes underwater he looked up to see Cisco floating above him, going up for a breath and trying to escape Barry's grasp. The speedster's arms were too long and he was too fast for Cisco to even have a chance. Barry reached up from under the surface and grabbed Cisco's ankle, pulling him under the water and under Barry. 

Cisco turned around and felt himself float up against Barry's body, both of them floating horizontally under the water. Barry placed a soft hand on Cisco's back between his shoulder blades. Cisco was shocked at the caress, but didn't do anything to stop it. His eyes widened a little, looking up at Barry's straight face as the hand creeped down his back slowly.  Frozen in place, he wasn't sure what to do so he placed his hands on Barry's shoulders to still himself. Barry's hand then darted for Cisco's ass, trying to fit one cheek in his hand and gave a big squeeze. Cisco's brow popped up in surprise and he accidently gave off a little sonic vibe, projecting Barry to the surface.

When they both emerged, Cisco gasping for air, looking dumbfounded, Barry just tried to stay afloat, bursting with laughter. Cisco's face turned a deep crimson and he felt embarrassed. "What was that for, man?" He asked, sounding a bit peeved and confused. 

Barry tried to compose his laughter but couldn't stop himself, "Don't think I didn't notice you copping a feel earlier today. I was just getting payback," he said, finally calming down a little. 

Cisco was at a loss for words, "W-w-well! That was- that was an accident!" He said indignantly, trying to hide his blush that just would not go away.

"Mhm," Barry said, rolling his eyes a little. "Everyone wants a piece of the fastest man on earth, I get it." Barry teased, floating closer to the bank and then standing up out of the water. "Just so happens you got freebie," Barry couldn't help but turn around and pop his hip out a bit, sass written all over his face.

Cisco had to laugh at that, he followed out of the water, standing near Barry, "You are so full of yourself, Barry Allen. You can't even see that  _I'm_ the one with the best ass in all the jungle." Cisco gave him a little nudge on the shoulder. 

Barry grabbed the hand that nudged him and pulled Cisco against his body. He looked around the shorter man and had to agree, Cisco's was much nicer than his own. How had he not noticed before? He couldn't even fit half of it in one hand earlier. He looked down at Cisco's face, who was blushing a little, "I stand corrected... you _are_ the best ass in all the jungle." Barry couldn't help but giggle as Cisco shoved him back into the water. 

They stayed like this for a few hours, throwing and chasing each other around the pool. Laughter filled the air around them as they romped in the water. 

The moon was high in the night sky when they stopped frolicking, both of them panting. They were floating belly-up in the middle of the pool, facing each other and holding each other's wrists, kicking softly in opposite directions. They twirled slowly in circles, catching their breath, the sounds of the forest and the rushing waterfall filling their ears. 

Barry was the first to speak. "Hey, thanks for getting everything set up. You really know what you're doing out here. Never would've pegged you for the outdoorsy type."

"It's no big. I learned all this stuff from my Uncle Gabriel. He always hosted the family camping trips and taught me everything I know about it." Cisco had a weak smile on, his eyes averted from Barry's, suddenly deep in thought. 

"You never mentioned him before," Barry noticed Cisco tense slightly under his hands so he proceeded lightly. "Is he in Central?"

Cisco shook his head lightly, "No, Puerto Rico. We used to be really close," he said, a small smile appearing on his face at the memories. "He used to tell me that coconuts were monkey eggs when I was little. My mom was not happy when I kept asking for monkey juice at grocery stores." 

Barry giggled at that, "Looks like your wonderful sense of humor runs in the blood." 

Cisco gave Barry a look, laughter in his eyes, "be jealous, Allen. You wish you were as clever as me." When he looked back off into the distance, the hardness in his eyes was back. 

Barry tried to tread lightly; he hated seeing his friend looking so put out. "Do you still talk?"

Cisco tensed again and let go of Barry's hands, stopping their swirling. "No." He made his way to the edge of the pool, looking to get out of the water and this conversation. 

Barry was not going to leave it at that. He followed Cisco out of the pool and partly down the path into their cave, grabbing Cisco's wrist and making him turn and meet his eyes. "You know you can talk to me, right?" Barry needed him to know that he could share anything with him. He wanted to bear his burdens, not just because he was a hero, but because he was Barry Allen and this was Cisco Ramon. Wonderful, talented, hilarious... handsome Cisco Ramon. Barry would do anything to keep his bright smile on his face.

Cisco looked up into Barry's eyes a moment. Of course he knew that. They shared so much already over the years and that had always come easily. Cisco wanted Barry to know everything about him, just like he wanted to know everything about Barry. But this... not this. It wasn't worth the breath, the time, or the hurt that would come from dredging up old, stale memories. He just nodded softly, turning his hand into Barry's and giving it a small squeeze. "I know. But there's not much to say when someone you love tells you you're not welcome in his life anymore."  _Damn_ , Cisco thought to himself, trying to fight the swelling wetness in his eyes. 

Barry's heart plummeted at the words and Cisco's reaction to saying them. He was furious. Why would someone say something so horrible to such a wonderful person? He wanted to track this person down and show them what it means to mess with Barry Allen's loved ones. Instead he pulled Cisco in tight, wrapping his arms protectively around the shorter man, feeling a few hot tears against his own skin. "We don't have to talk about it," he said, running a hand over Cisco's wet hair.

Cisco nodded and gave Barry a weak smile, pulling away to dry off and get ready for bed. 

They both changed after drying off, Barry in some red boxers and a white tee shirt, Cisco in white linen sleep pants and his Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock shirt. The fire had dwindled to embers and was giving off a nice dull glow around the cave. Stepping inside their little tent, Barry noticed there was only one sleeping bag, one blanket and a pair of pillows, laid out to form a single pallet. Cisco came in behind him and zipped the entrance shut.

"Oh, yeah," he said, remembering the sleeping arrangements. "Remember when the backpack exploded and all of our stuff sprung free? We might have lost a sleeping bag in the aftermath..." nervous laughter followed the statement. "I did the best I could with what I had, I hope it's okay." He was feverishly tucking hair behind his ears.

Barry's cheeks turned as red as his suit and Cisco saw the blush creep down under his shirt collar. "Y-y-yeah, that's fine. That's okay. We'll just share, you know? Just two buddies sharing a bed, all alone, but together, but not like together-together, well, nevermind, but anyway..." Barry spluttered word vomit  _everywhere_ , his hand going behind his neck as his go-to I'm-in-way-over-my-head move. 

Cisco laughed lightly at Barry's nervousness but didn't comment on anything he said, never holding his friend to anything said in that sputtering way. He got under the blanket, finding the sleeping bag to be pretty cozy.

Barry slowly creeped under as well, laying down rigid as a board. The tent was small and it was next to impossible not to touch Cisco at his side. He could feel the warmth of his arm grazing his skin and damned himself for only wearing his boxers. 

Cisco turned to his side, facing Barry, "Are you a snuggler?" he asked.

Barry's eyes grew wide and he turned to face his friend who was precariously close to him. "Um, yeah? I mean I've been known to cuddle, I guess." 

Cisco smiled at that, "Good, me too. Do you wanna just..." he made some hand motion between the two of them. "I just think we'd be more comfortable. It is a small tent you know and you shouldn't be scared to touch me, but I mean, like not like that, unless, anyway, oh god." He hung his head, officially infected by the patented Barry-Allen-Word-Vomit-itis. 

Barry grew more comfortable with the idea and chuckled at how adorable Cisco's rambling was. He turned on his side, too, facing Cisco and held up the blanket with his arm, signaling for Cisco to make himself comfortable.

Warmth flooded Cisco's cheeks and butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he scooched forward to close the tiny gap between them. He wrapped an arm around Barry's torso and intertwined their legs together. Cisco nuzzled his head against Barry's chest, pressing his body in closer. Barry wrapped his arm around Cisco as well, his hand landing in Cisco's thick, damp hair, running a finger or two through it absentmindedly. He rested his chin on top of Cisco's head, finding himself amazingly comfortable, even on the stone floor. 

"Cisco," Barry said quietly after a moment. Cisco pulled his head back from Barry's chest and looked up at him with a "hm?". "For the record... I always want you to be a part of my life." Barry knew the words were the honest truth; he couldn't imagine- wouldn't imagine a life without Cisco by his side. 

Cisco's eyes filled with tears again, but none spilled. He gave a small, content smile. "Thanks, Barry," he said finally, looking him straight in the eyes. 

Barry gave a little grin and placed a soft, chaste kiss to the top of Cisco's head. He didn't think too much about it, and neither did Cisco. It just felt right. They laid there together, tuckered out from the long day, comfortably tangled in one another. The sounds of each other's soft breathing, the waterfall rushing, and the jumble of jungle sounds all around them lulled them into a deep, restful sleep; the dark night cradling their quiet affection for one another. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this! Comments and kudos always appreciated! :)


	5. Green is not Barry's Color

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their first full day at the beach is quite eventful: water racing, local festivals, and dancing lessons make up this perfect day. Barry has a little green monster living inside of him, but Cisco knows how to take care of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Approximately a million years later. 
> 
> Life got busy! Not to mention I lost my muse along the way and had to basically start this chapter over from scratch. I'm proud of it. Let me know what you think in the comments below! Thanks! :)

 Cisco awoke the next morning to a chorus of tropical birds all around him, the sounds bouncing and echoing softly on the cavern walls. The warm sun filtered through their tent and fell lightly on his face. As he stirred he realized that there was another source of warmth coming from within the tent.

From where he lay on his back, he peeked his eyes open and saw Barry snuggled up against him. His long limbs wrapped tightly around Cisco and his face nuzzled in the crook of Cisco’s neck. The warmth was coming from Barry, who was wrapping his arms and legs tighter around Cisco’s chest and hips, pressing every inch of his body closer to his friend.

Cisco froze, not sure what to do in this situation and realizing he quite enjoyed the comfortable embrace of the speedster.

It was barely a moment later when Cisco thought he felt Barry pressing his hips harder into him.

Barry began to mumble in his sleep, rocking his hips slowly and steadily against Cisco.

At first he wasn’t making much sense, jumbles of words, then a little whine. Cisco assumed he was having a bad dream and trying to run away from something. His mind automatically thought of what would happen if the Flash sleptwalked. Nothing good could come from that and he wasn’t about to find out himself.

Right before he could move to wake Barry up he heard a little moan bubble out of the mumbling against his neck. One eyebrow creeped up slowly at the sound.

“M’yeah… Cis-Cisco…” followed by a tiny whimper and another rock of his hips.

Both of Cisco’s eyebrows shot up instantly. His mouth suddenly went dry and the blood rushed out of his head. Barry wasn’t having a bad dream… he was having a really good one and Cisco was there?

“More… please… mmm,” he trailed off into incoherent mumbles after that.

 _More? More what??_ Whatever it was, Cisco was prepared to give it to him. He gently shook his head to gather his bearings. He couldn’t keep letting Barry do this and it was wrong to enjoy it so much when Barry was still technically asleep. Right? He had to wake Barry up but without him realizing what was going on. Cisco wanted to spare him from his self-inflicted embarrassment.

It was so hard to focus, though. With Barry’s hot breath whispering against his neck, his whole body pressed against him, and the _rutting_ that felt more intimate than any wet dream should allow.

Cisco cursed his growing erection and his poor choice of sleepwear that did nothing to hide it.

He decided to take action before things got out of hand. He stretched his whole body, moving his arm that Barry’s head was resting on, jostling the speedster to consciousness. Cisco gave a big yawn as if he was just waking up as well.

When Barry pulled away, he took note of his own flimsy boxers and jumped away from Cisco a bit, pulling a pillow in his lap. He hoped he looked casual and not as if he was frantically escaping a possibly awkward situation.

Cisco didn’t notice because he was too busy doing pretty much the same, sitting up, hugging his knees to his chest. When he looked up at Barry, he saw worry on his face, probably remembering the events in his dream. There was nothing to worry about, but Cisco couldn’t really say that without making things worse.

He noticed Barry’s terribly endearing bedhead; his brunette hair usually windswept to perfection was now sticking out in every direction. He smiled brightly at how adorable the man in front of him was, and proceeded to comb fingers through the hair in an attempt to fix it.

Barry’s tension quickly melted away with Cisco’s smile and touch. He smiled back and ran his fingers through his hair as well.

Eventually, their hands met in the frenzy and their fingers laced together again. Barry brought Cisco’s hands to the pillow on his lap and laid them palm up. He began to draw circles and trace the lines of his palm. He loved the feeling of their skin sliding together, even if it was only their hands.

Cisco bit his bottom lip as he watched Barry’s long fingers caress his own. A tingly sensation radiated from his palm through his whole body at the quiet intimacy they shared. Pink cheeks were bountiful in the comfortable silence of their tent.

“You’re a great cuddler,” Barry was the first to break their silence.

“You’re the best snuggler,” Cisco added, not looking up at Barry but with a sheepish grin on his face.

Barry’s hands stilled and he looked up at Cisco. “We should do that more often,” he suggested, his stomach tight with nerves at what the response would be.

Cisco’s smile grew and he looked up to meet Barry’s eyes. “We do make a pretty great team.”

They both smiled at one another, until Barry’s stomach gave off a loud growl. _Why does my metabolism hate me?_ He berated himself.

Cisco’s face turned concerned then determined all in an instant. He squeezed Barry’s hands before letting them go and making his way out of the tent to prepare breakfast. He was in full Mama-Cisco-Mode and Barry learned that he loved seeing him that way.

Leaning back on his elbows, Barry sat there a moment, watching Cisco and appreciating the care and attention that he gave, as well as appreciating the way his pajama pants hugged his body.

Cisco gave Barry a look over his shoulder from where he squatted, trying to get the fire going. “You gonna help me or you gonna stare, Bear? I know you’re jealous of my ass and all, but come on, green isn’t really your color.”

Barry’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, he didn’t know what to say or how to deny that he was doing exactly what Cisco was insinuating his was doing. He finally closed his mouth and walked over to the pile of wood Cisco was trying to start, but it wasn’t coming along that well. “Hey, step back a sec. I have an idea.”

When Cisco was safely out of the way, Barry ran a few tight circles around the fire pit for a moment and then stopped abruptly, pointing his hand to the center of the wood stack, setting it ablaze with a small strike of lightening.

Cisco ran over, an excited look on his face, “That will never not be cool, dude.”

Barry preened under the praise and waved a hand, “Nah, just a parlor trick.”

Cisco turned and starting pulling all kinds of cooking supplies and foods out of his shrinking backpack. Some of the food was even raw and …cooled?

“Okay, Mary Poppins, what’ll it be for breakfast?” Barry joked, walking over and helping him get set up.

Cisco didn’t seem phased, he flashed a smirk at Barry, “Bear, Mary Poppins was the dopest babysitter of all time. I gladly welcome the comparison.”

Barry rolled his eyes, “Fine, if you get to be Mary, I wanna be Bert. That guy had some serious moves, not to mention we both rock the soot-faced look.”

Cisco gave a big laugh at that, “You? Moves? I bet you couldn’t even do the chicken dance.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, watch,” Barry sprung up and attempted his version of the famous penguin dance that Bert did with his cartoon counterparts.

Cisco chuckled at his friend’s awkward dancing, appreciating the whole hearted attempt, though. “If you ever get bored, I’ll teach you some real moves. Friends don’t let friends dance badly.”

Barry scoffed, “Well, excuse me, Mr. Twinkle Toes. Let’s see what you got.” He made a grand gesture to the open space next to him.

Cisco just shook his head, putting his prepped food on the fire. “No, it’ll only embarrass you. Besides I’m jonesing for some grub.”

“Mhm, sure,” Barry rolled his eyes and proceeded to help him.

~

A few hours later the pair found themselves at the beach, running around the shallow water and occasionally going for a big dive in the deeper sections. A couple of times Barry scooped up Cisco bridal style and sped them to the tiny islands in the distance. There wasn’t much to see on them except a few trees and lots of crabs so they came back to the original shore where they were currently roughhousing yet again.

Cisco was holding Barry’s hand under the water so the tiny fish would tickle him with their “nemo kisses” as he called them. Barry couldn’t handle the torture anymore and pushed them both back into the water. As Cisco laughed and tried to swim away, Barry caught his ankle before he got two good kicks in. Using his speedforce, he glided through the water, sliding his body against Cisco’s as he sped forward.

Cisco stood there, not sure what to do, with his wet hair raining droplets on his skin. He then remembered, yet again, that he had super powers, too.

Running towards the shoreline, he ran some ideas through his engineer’s brain before coming across a large piece of palm tree bark that had recently fallen off the tree. It was still sturdy and big enough for him to firmly plant two feet on it. He ran back towards the water, throwing the bark down and jumping on as soon as it splashed down. Throwing his hands behind himself, he sent off a sonic blast against the sand and water, propelling himself forward.

Alternating his hands, he sent blast after blast, speeding across the water almost as fast as Barry. Cisco couldn't believe this was working, his initial calculations in his head told him this was ridiculous at best. But he wasn't about to question this, not when he looked so cool doing it.

Barry stopped swimming to look back at Cisco; he was stunned at what he saw. It almost looked as if Cisco had a jet propelled wakeboard he didn't know of. But as Cisco closed in on him, Barry realized that it was all him.

He felt a momentary shock of pride; seeing his best friend master his powers always made Barry excited for him. But this was different.

Cisco had been so terrified when he first discovered his powers, and rightly so. The horrifying visions without explanation, always coming at a time of fear. Not to mention when he met his doppelganger and realized how powerful he could really be. Even though he acted excited, Barry knew he was terrified on the inside, constantly worrying about the possible evil within him after his encounter with Reverb. During their training sessions, Barry could tell Cisco's powers were growing on him, but the fear and hesitation at the possibility of hurting Barry kept him from really enjoying what he could do. It wasn't like he could hop on a sonic treadmill and go for a jog like Barry. If he wanted to use his powers it would almost always end in destruction or terror. 

That's why when Barry looked up and saw Cisco barreling towards him at sonic speeds, his sunburst smile beaming at him under determined eyes, Barry knew that Cisco finally felt at home with his powers. His chest swelled with pride and excitement for his friend, but he wouldn't let him win, though, not without a fight. 

Right before he reached Barry, one hand reaching forward grazing the speedster, he took off again. He wasn't running on top of the water, but using his speedforce to propel his swimming, which Cisco was grateful for. He kept up the sonic blasts, on Barry's heels the whole time. A few times he almost reached out but knew he wouldn't make it. Finally when Barry made a quick turn to the left, he lost a bit of his momentum and Cisco took his chance. He sprung from his makeshift board and shot a double handed sonic blast against the water to his right and pounced right on top of Barry, wrapping around him like a jellyfish. 

They sunk in the water, spinning softly with Cisco bracing Barry. Barry was so shocked that he actually caught him that he didn't really know what to do. They clung to each other, floating under the deep water. Barry kicked his legs swiftly, propelling them back to the surface for air. 

They both gasped deeply after resurfacing, holding on to one another and kicking idly to stay above the water. Cisco had the most elated look on his face.

“Did you see that?!” Cisco practically shouted, clinging to Barry with his legs and arms wrapped around him. “That was so cool! I could totally make like a board of some kind to use in Central. You wouldn’t have to carry me into fights anymore! We could both have speed on our side!” He was rambling, his eyes darting all over the place.

Barry knew this look. When Cisco got a new idea for a gadget he couldn’t focus his eyes on one thing, his mind racing too much for his sight to track anything. He loved watching the gears turn as he thought through a problem. He couldn’t help the desire in his chest for Cisco to focus on _him_ , though, especially when he was wrapped this tightly around him. “I still can’t believe you beat the Flash.”

Cisco scoffed, giving Barry a side-eyed look, “Don’t be upset. It was bound to happen one day, Bear.” He then smiled brightly, “What’s my prize?”

“Your prize?” Barry asked, brow furrowing. “You mean besides eternal bragging rights and talk about a hell of a confidence boost.”

“Oh, come on. It was a race after all. There’s always gotta be a prize!”

Barry looked intently at Cisco. His chest was warm with pride and with Cisco being so close. The grand smile on his face was nearly blinding and horribly infectious. Barry couldn’t help but focus on his lips. The same soft-looking plush lips that he saw hovering over him when he couldn’t walk the day before. The same he had dreamed about, doing some very non-G-rated things. He wanted so badly to lean forward, closing the distance between them and press his lips against Cisco’s, finally feeling for himself how soft they were. He moved to do just that, but chickened out at the last second and pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of Cisco’s smile.

When he pulled away, Cisco’s smile had faded and was replaced with a blank look, his eyes wide with shock, his cheeks a deep red. _Crap, crap, crap, stupid, stupid, stupid_ , Barry berated himself. "Sorry, I didn't mean to- I mean- I wasn't thinking- I don't- I don't know what to say." He finished his sputtering with a big sigh and tears almost forming in his eyes, looking anywhere but at Cisco. 

Cisco was stunned, he watched Barry's sputtering, but none of the words registered.  _Did we just kiss? Was that our first kiss? I wasn't even ready for it! He missed, too! No, that wasn't what that was supposed to be. That wasn't how it should be._  He then registered how torn up Barry looked. He felt bad for his awful reaction. Cisco would welcome any physical gesture of affection Barry gave, he was just so taken off guard and he didn’t know how to react.

He took his hands from around Barry’s shoulders and held Barry’s face, making him look him in the eyes. He could see the tears already forming and just felt horrible. “Hey,” he said, placing a finger under Barry’s chin, “My whole life I’ve never won prizes for anything. I think it was because my karma was just building up to this moment.” He finished with a little smile, and tilted Barry’s head down to give him a peck on the forehead. He would have kissed him right then and there, but he wanted the moment to be perfect, and he also didn’t want to push Barry into anything, either.

Barry smiled sheepishly and blinked away his tears. He was about to say something back when he saw a boat come around the bend of the shoreline.

Cisco noticed the furrow in his brow and turned to see what he was looking at. “My buddies!” Cisco said excitedly. The boat made its way toward them and the pair separated, swimming in their direction as well.

Cisco and the crew started speaking Spanish to one another, very animatedly. Barry felt out of the loop, but sat there patiently, loving the image of Cisco telling some story he couldn’t follow, trying to make sense of his ridiculous hand waving. After a while, Cisco turned to Barry with an expectant, questioning look.

“Huh?” Barry said, intelligently. “I don’t speak Spanish, man.”

Cisco facepalmed, “Dude, I’m so sorry. That’s so rude. Well, they asked if we wanted to go back to their town with them. They’re having some kind of get-together and the food is supposed to be-“ he finished his statement by putting his fingers to his lips and smacking them.

Barry chuckled, “That’s my favorite adjective! I’m in.”

They both climbed aboard, the boat taking them back to the shoreline to throw on a shirt and some sandals and then they were off.

~

The boat ride didn’t take too long. About an hour later they came across a dock jutting out of the shoreline. Cisco helped the small crew of three men tie the boat off and get them settled. Barry sat there, feeling horribly in the way. He looked up to see Cisco holding out a hand for him to help him off the boat. Barry accepted, not needing the help, but wanting the contact.

They followed the man down a short path and came upon a large opening in the trees. The town was small, the roads hardly big enough for any vehicle to pass through. The buildings were small but well established, wooden structures, raised for the inevitable flooding and with straw roofs. The buildings, some houses, one or two looked to be a small school, and a few seemed to be restaurants or shops, lined a red clay path with thick dark green grass on either side, which led deeper into the forest, away from the gulf. People teemed everywhere, going about their business; most of them seemed to be preparing for the get-together they were told of.

Everyone stopped and looked when the group of men arose from the brush, almost everyone greeting them with a yell and a raised hand. Some gazed a bit longer, curious at the new visitors. The men yelled out to some people, Cisco waving as they did, Barry following suit, not sure what was going on. Some people approached, speaking quickly at the both of them, Cisco laughed in response and joined the conversation, signaling at Barry occasionally.

Out of nowhere a swarm of children surrounded Barry’s legs. Not a single one was taller than his hips. They were all smiling and laughing, some pointing up at him and other’s talking amongst themselves. Even though Barry didn’t speak their language, he knew what it meant to be a kid, even if his childhood was rough. Joe taught him what it meant to be silly and to never let your inner child stray too far. Plus, Barry loved kids and laughter was universal, which was why he went along with it when two kids clamped around each of his legs and wouldn’t get off, he just started running around with them hanging on for dear life.

He didn’t go nearly as fast as he normally did, not wanting to cause a scene with his powers, but his strength and stamina helped to entertain the kids for hours. They all took turns getting a ride as Barry fumbled through the square, jogging around with the kids latched around his legs tightly, a few of the smaller ones would hang from his outstretched arms, and one stubborn kid hung around his neck, piggybacking him the whole time.

The parents and other townsfolk watched on at the spectacle, never having seen a person with so much patience and stamina. They laughed when he almost tripped, sending a kid flying off one arm and tumbling into the grass. Another one jumped back on instantly. The sun was starting to go down and the torches were being lit as some parents yelled for their kids. A few returned to their parents, some still clung to Barry. He heaved a big, dramatic sigh and fell face down on the grass. The stragglers laughed but eventually ‘aw-ed’ when they realized the fun was over and climbed off, running to their parents.

Cisco came over, laughing and smiling, helping Barry to his feet. He had spent the last few hours helping people get things ready for the festivities. He stole many a glance at Barry playing with the kids as he worked, not even trying to hide a smile or his laughter at how silly his friend could be. He was happy to know that Barry was good with children, but not really sure why that was so important at the moment.

“You’re a regular Barney the Dinosaur, aren’t you? Those kids were entertained for _hours_.” Cisco told him, brushing the dirt off his friend.

Barry chuckled, catching his breath from all the excitement. “What can I say? Kids dig me.” He shrugged, trying not to look to proud of himself. “Besides, it’s not like I can tell jokes or anything.”

Cisco laughed at that, “That’s a good thing, though. You’re not very funny.” He teased, poking him in the side as they walked towards the big gathering of people.

~

The “get-together” they were told to join in was actually a festival the town had recently started doing. It was in honor of the legend of La Mosca that Cisco told Barry about the night before.

The townsfolk, while they feared what this girl was capable of, revered her for her power and her outstanding moral compass when it came to the protection of the jungle. Apparently, she sent away dozens of teams of men who came from the city to cut down the trees and brush for the purpose of growing crops and urban expansion. While she did occasionally attack the townsfolk, it was only when they entered the papaya grove, which they deemed her holy land. She loved her privacy, it seemed.

The town had lit lanterns and incense all over, a big bonfire was roaring, and food had been served plentifully. They were all very welcoming to their new guests, happy to share in their bounty. At first Barry was hesitant to eat his fill, but the older ladies of the little town must have seen the hunger in his eyes and constantly egged him on, filling his plate when he still shook his head ‘no’. Cisco was pulled into conversation after conversation, some of them he tried to include Barry in, translating for him, but Barry assured him that it was okay and that he really didn’t need to include him.

He could hear a group of girls about their age giggling and whispering amongst themselves. “ _¿_ _A d_ _ó_ _nde va todo?”_ he heard one of them ask, gesturing at Barry and his ever-full plate of food. He didn’t need to know Spanish to know what that look meant. He put his plate down, full enough for the time being and tried not to pay them any attention. He didn’t mean to be rude, but he didn’t like the looks they were giving him.

Not long after, music started up as a small band appeared from within a nearby building. They were playing traditional sounding music at first, Barry was unable to understand any of the lyrics but he liked the tune all the same.  Soon after, something that Barry could only describe as “salsa, I guess…?” started playing. Suddenly everyone was standing up and pairing off.

One of the girls from the group he was avoiding earlier came over and asked Cisco a question, he looked at Barry, who just shrugged, and then back at the girl, taking her hands with a kind smile. She brightened immediately and dragged him to the dance floor.

Barry’s mouth hung open when Cisco held both of the girl’s hands and started into the dance, moving seamlessly and guiding her like an expert. He spun her around in tight circles and they glided around one another, their footwork impeccable. He gave a few dips here and there, causing the girls to giggle. It was a great partner dance, but he never held her too close for comfort. Everyone seemed to be “leaving room for Jesus” as his junior high school dance monitors always lectured.

When the song was over, everyone turned to the band and clapped. Cisco whispered something to the girl he was dancing with and she giggled. Barry felt a fresh tear of jealously rip through his heart. Even if he heard what Cisco told her, he would never know what he said.

Cisco turned back to Barry and sat with him through the next song. The shock and excitement of him dancing so well smothered the jealousy that had built in Barry’s chest. “Dude! You weren’t kidding! You really are a twinkle toes!” He said excitedly, clapping Cisco on the shoulder and smiling brightly at him.

Cisco turned pink and waved him off the same way Barry did to him earlier. “I’d be a bad Puerto Rican if I couldn’t dance a little salsa.” He conceded.

“You were amazing, though! I could never dance that well, man. How come you never told me?”

“Salsa doesn’t really come up in our daily lives, Bear.” Cisco reminded him, “If you want some lessons, though, my offer still stands.” He bumped their shoulders together, a grin on his face.

Barry considered it. The thought of spending hours alone with Cisco, doing something outside of saving lives all the time, and getting to touch him without pretense: the offer was very tempting. “You know, I think I’ll have to take you up on that.”

Cisco eyes lit up with excitement. He couldn’t wait to start teaching him. If it weren’t for another girl coming up and asking him to dance, he would slip away with Barry right then. Any excuse to press their bodies together, really. The taste he got this morning was still lingering on his memory and he wanted more. But Cisco was too nice and joined the girl on the dance floor.

Someone came up to Barry as the song was starting and held out a hand to him. The pretty girl had a shy smile on, looking at him expectantly. Barry really had no idea what he was doing on the dancefloor and didn’t want to get nervous and vibrate near her or, worse, trip the poor girl. He smiled back and shook his head politely. He shifted on his feet a little, trying to get across that he didn’t know what he was doing.

She seemed to understand and walked away without looking too downtrodden, which he was happy for. She found another partner and he happily joined her on the dancefloor. When Barry was convinced that he didn’t offend the girl he looked back into the dancing crowd to find Cisco.

When he did, his heart plummeted, jealousy making his hair bristle and his ears burn. Apparently, the style of music had changed and with it the style of dancing. Cisco had his arm wrapped around this girl’s waist and his other hand was at the back of her neck. They were dancing horrifically close to one another, Cisco’s thigh in-between her legs. They swayed side to side with the music, foreheads pressed together and hips moving in sync.

Barry was going to be sick. He couldn’t look away; it was like a car accident. His heart was throbbing with jealousy and his stomach fell, leaving him nauseous. He hated how jealous he could be, he always knew he had a green streak in him, but he couldn’t help it.

It didn’t bother him that Cisco was dancing with this girl, or any girl, for that matter. It was the sensual, intimate way that they moved their bodies together. It reminded him of his stupid dream he had, and how it probably would never happen. All of this flirting and handholding they’d been doing, it didn’t mean anything, right? Not when Cisco could easily sway along with this girl, practically seducing her after just meeting her. He never looked at Barry like that or tried anything more sensual with him and the fact that Barry knew Cisco was bi wasn’t helpful. Double the competition.

 _Ugh,_ Barry thought, _this is dumb. We’re not even dating or anything. Why am I so upset?_ He was getting angry with himself.

When Cisco looked up to see Barry sitting there, so obviously upset, not even trying to hide the distaste on his face, he moved away from the girl a bit. He kept dancing with her, not wanting to be rude, but wasn’t as into the dance as before. His focus was on Barry and Barry alone. _I’m so dumb_ , he thought to himself. _This is so not fair to him and I’m giving off all the wrong signals._

When the song was over, Cisco just smiled at the girl and left the dance floor immediately. He scooped up a few pieces of fruit from the food table and jogged over to Barry, who was twiddling his thumbs and playing with a zipper on his swimming trunks. Cisco scooted up next to him, as close as possible, and nudged him with his shoulder.

Barry looked up, trying to put a neutral look on his face, but failing horribly. His green envy showing through in his downtrodden look.

Cisco gave him a small smile and held out the fruit to him, tucking his arm under Barry’s and lacing their fingers together.

Barry gave a weak smile and accepted the fruit. He paid more attention to their hands, though. He loved the intimacy they had shared, giving time for their feelings to develop. But he wanted more. Seeing Cisco dancing with that girl, he felt this deep urge to let the world know that Cisco was _his_. But he wasn’t even sure if that was true. They hadn’t talked about anything, Barry was too scared to talk about it, afraid it might break the spell.

Cisco threw the pit of the fruit he was eating over his shoulder. He leaned up closer to Barry and whispered softly in his ear, “Let’s get out of here.”

Barry looked at Cisco and saw that all of his attention was focused solely on him. Their faces were so close, and Cisco squeezed Barry’s hand, giving him a meaningful look. Barry’s cheeks burned and he looked around them, not sure what to do.

The group of girls that had been watching them was all tittering and whispering amongst themselves. Barry felt proud of himself, enjoying a little too much that the girls knew he and Cisco were there together. Even if they weren’t together-together.

He looked back at Cisco, who never looked away from Barry the whole time, and nodded, throwing his own fruit over his shoulder.

Everyone, except the gossipy girls, was busy dancing and never noticed the two of them running into the dark brush, hand in hand.

When they were out of sight, Barry scooped Cisco up bridal style again and sped them back towards their campsite.

~

The sound of the rushing waterfall filled Cisco’s ears when they came to an abrupt stop outside of their little cave.

Barry put Cisco down gently, reluctantly.

Cisco stayed close to him, though, turning to face him.

“I’m really sorry if I upset you back there.” Cisco stated, grabbing one of Barry’s hands in both of his own. “I just haven’t been dancing in a long time and got excited about it.” He tried to meet Barry’s eyes, but the taller man wouldn’t look up at him.

Barry felt ashamed for feeling so horribly jealous and making Cisco feel bad about enjoying himself. He didn’t do anything wrong. And even if something did happen between Cisco and the girl, what did it matter to Barry? “Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Barry said flatly.

Cisco frowned at the answer. Of course he did. It was wrong to dance like that with someone else in front of someone you have feelings for. It’s confusing and not fair. “You know, the dancing, it didn’t mean anything, Bear,” he said, stepping a little closer to Barry.

Barry peeked up at Cisco, feeling ridiculous for basically pouting. “It looked like it did.”

“It didn’t.” Cisco insisted, pressing their interlocked hands into Barry’s chest, stepping closer. “It didn’t mean anything… because I wasn’t dancing with you.”

Barry’s eyes widened a bit, his stomach doing a flip. He had no idea what to say, what to do. He just gaped at Cisco, eyes scanning his face, seeing the sincerity in his words.

Cisco smiled back at Barry, confident in his words and his feelings. “Do you want to start those lessons?” He asked, hoping to see a smile on the speedster’s face.

Barry gave a shy grin, “Yeah, that sounds fun.”

Cisco turned toward their supplies and brought out a little speaker, plugging up his phone and starting some music. He came back over to Barry, who just stood there stiff as a board, completely unsure of what to do with his body.

Cisco held out his two hands, palm up, and Barry placed his on top, concentration on his face.

“Okay, so follow my feet, but move in the opposite direction. So, I’m stepping forward with my left foot, you step back with your right.” _Easy enough_ , Barry thought as Cisco explained the moves.

“Now, don’t look at your feet,” he stated. Barry looked up at Cisco in horror. _How is that possible?_ Cisco just chuckled at the look.

“There’s a reason we’re holding hands. Now, if I push your right hand backwards, that’s pretty much what I want you to do with your foot. The dance is more of a push-and-pull. There’s more flair added later, but that’s the basic step. Just follow my lead and listen to the beat of the music.” Barry nodded at the words, trying to make his body make sense of them.

They stomped around like this for another song or two, Cisco getting a giggle or two out of Barry. By the end of the second song he finally got the basic steps and Cisco gave him a few twirls and spins, throwing in some of the fun stuff to keep him hooked.

When they stopped with that song, Cisco went to turn the music off. “You really seem to get it! It won’t be long before you’re tearing up the dance floor.”

Barry was happy with what he learned. He liked the idea of sharing something like this with Cisco, something that was just theirs. But he wasn’t completely satisfied. He wanted to see Cisco in his element, the way he was dancing with that girl. He wanted to be the one Cisco was so intent on.

“Wait, that was just the first kind,” he said as Cisco cut the music. “Salsa, right? What was the second kind of dancing?” His hands fidgeted nervously as he waited for his answer.

Cisco got an evil little grin on his face. “Barry Allen… you want to dance Bachata with me?” He asked, pointing at himself.

Barry’s cheeks burned a little, “It-It just looked fun. You looked like you really enjoyed dancing with her, I MEAN, to it.” He tried to cover up the Freudian slip, scratching the back of his neck.

Cisco just gave him a kind smile, turning on a different song and returning to Barry.

“I’m not going to try and explain this one, just try and follow and remember the basic steps I told you before,” he said smiling devilishly up at Barry, who just nodded in response.

The song that was playing was the same style as the one he heard at the festival, but it had a slower feel, not as rambunctious and loud as the songs earlier.

Cisco locked eyes with Barry, licking his lips a little. He moved into his space, wrapping an arm around Barry’s waist and pulling him closer. Their bodies were flush against one another, much closer than him and the girl from before. Cisco’s other hand cradled the back of Barry’s neck, a finger or two reaching up the line of his neck into his hair, as he pulled their foreheads together, keeping their eyes locked.

Barry gulped at the intensity of the embrace, not sure what to do with himself. “W-Where do my hands go?”

Cisco gave a small laugh, “Wherever you want them to.”

Barry settled them on Cisco’s shoulder blades, wrapping his arms lightly around him.

Cisco began to move them side to side a little, getting Barry into the beat. Once they had a bit of a rhythm going, he repositioned his lower half. Sliding a leg between Barry’s, he moved even closer against his body. Their hips were pressed against one another, not a centimeter of space existed between their bodies.

Barry shuddered lightly at the feeling of Cisco’s leg against his inner thighs, swaying him from side to side, keeping their hips locked together, moving in synch.

When he looked up to meet Cisco’s eyes, they were burning with desire. Barry realized then that the look Cisco had earlier with the girl, the one he thought was a look of intimacy, was far from it. Never in his life had anyone looked at Barry with such intensity and passion before. This wasn’t just lust, it was something more.

Cisco kept them moving to the music, never taking his eyes off of Barry. He relished in the ability to hold him close and move his body as he pleased. The warmth he felt as their hips swayed together and their legs moved in synch to one another was nearly overwhelming. Being this close to Barry was sending all of his blood south, and the rhythmic movements of their dancing were not helping.

When Barry met his eyes, Cisco saw the same desire in them as he felt in his own chest. Barry’s perfect lips were just inches away from Cisco’s, the same lips that whispered his name against his neck that very same morning. He almost began to overthink it, but that ruined things for him every step along the way.

Instead, with Barry looking him square in the eye, their bodies flush together, and his hot breath cascading onto Cisco’s skin, he took his chance. With the hand that cradled the back of Barry’s neck, Cisco pulled him down to close the distance between them, his eyes fluttering shut as his head turned slightly to side.

A tiny jolt of electricity shocked between them right before their lips met, sending a shiver down both of their spines. Cisco held Barry tighter around the waist, pulling him closer if even possible. Their soft lips pressed against each other, Barry’s eyes widening at how velvety soft Cisco’s lips were, more so than he ever imagined.

Cisco was shocked at the vibrations he could feel coming off of Barry. He wasn’t vibrating, but he could feel his electric energy pulsing through his body. It only spurred him on more.

They slowly began to move their lips together, turning their heads to the side and deepening the kiss. Cisco’s hand trailed up farther into Barry’s hair, one of Barry’s did the same to Cisco.

When Barry accidentally tugged on one of Cisco’s locks of hair, Cisco gave out a little gasp against Barry’s mouth. Barry took his chance and deepened their kiss further, sliding a tongue across Cisco’s bottom lip, sneaking into his mouth. Cisco obliged and met Barry’s tongue with his own, breathing heavily as they explored each other’s mouths.

After a long moment, they pulled away to catch their breath. Barry’s eyes were half lidded, his face flushed, and his lips were kiss swollen, glistening, and oh so tempting. Cisco gave him another small kiss and then bit Barry’s lower lip, slowly and deliberately letting it pop out of his mouth. Barry gave a little whimper of a moan at the sight and feeling. Cisco surged back up at the sound and licked and kissed the bottom lip he just assaulted.

When their lips met again, Cisco licking the bitten lip, Barry couldn’t help but speed them against the nearest wall of their cave. He lifted Cisco so he could wrap his legs around Barry’s waist, and pressed him against the cold stone walls.

They stayed this way another moment, kissing softly and tenderly and then experimenting with how rough they wanted to get. Cisco learned that Barry really liked his biting, and Barry learned that Cisco loved having his hair pulled.

When they finally stopped and pulled away from each other to catch their breath again, they just looked at each other and giggled for a moment, hugging each other close.

“See, Bear,” Cisco said, looking up at him, holding his face in his hands, “I told you there was nothing to worry about. Besides…” he trailed off, giving Barry another sweet, loving kiss, “Green really isn’t your color.” He smiled brightly at him.

Barry rolled his eyes and moved to press his lips to Cisco’s some more. “Why else… would my suit… be red?” He said between kisses.

“ _My_ suit,” Cisco insisted between biting one of Barry’s lips and then licking it as if nursing it back to health.

Barry pulled on Cisco’s hair lightly, making the techie’s face turn upward a bit, a little moan escaping his lips. “ **Our** suit.” He conceded, pulling Cisco’s mouth back against his, hungry for more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What the girl asks about Barry at the party is "Where does it all go?" :P
> 
> Also, I changed the rating of this work because I decided I wanted to get a bit more involved with it. I'm not sure if this chapter is considered mature, but future ones will be. Possibly an E-Rating down the line. We'll see. 
> 
> Kudos and comments greatly appreciated!


	6. Enter La Mosca

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotions, worries, and feelings are always best served during a thunderstorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a million years, I know. This isn't as long as the others, I know. But I hope you enjoy!

The next morning, Barry was the first to wake up. Cisco’s back was pressed against his chest as they cuddled close together. Barry’s arm tightened around Cisco’s waist while he snuggled his face into a mound of dark hair. He could hear tiny cooing and snoring coming from the warm man next to him and it made his heart flutter as his thoughts went to the events of the night before.

~

After a long moment of exploring each other’s mouths, they got ready for bed, not taking their hands off one another. There was an intimate, charged feeling in the air, but nothing felt rushed or heavy.

When they made it to their tent, they couldn’t stop themselves from kissing all over again, giddy from the new sensations. Cisco sat in Barry’s lap, running fingers through the taller man’s hair while they kissed deeply and lovingly. He pushed Barry down on his back and hovered above him on all fours, his hair falling around his face.

Barry could feel all of the remaining blood leaving his head at the sight of Cisco above him… but he froze, scared.

Cisco immediately noticed the stiffness in Barry and quickly moved to sit next to him. “Sorry,” he said hurriedly, not sure what to do or what the problem was.

Barry sat up as well, taking Cisco’s hands and looking into his eyes. “No, no, it’s okay. You didn’t do anything. I just-“ He bit his lip, trying to think of the right words. “I just don’t want to mess this up by moving too fast.”

A chuckle escaped Cisco’s lips at the irony. He shook his head, “I don’t think there’s any way you could mess this up, Bear.”

Barry contemplated his answer for a moment. Whatever this was becoming, he wanted to start on the right foot. “Well, it’s just that, um, you see,” he was struggling to get the words out. He caught Cisco’s eyes, listening attentively with soft concern. “It’s just, I haven’t really shared everything with you. About me, I guess.”

Cisco furrowed his brow in response. “You don’t have to tell me everything.” He then felt the need to clarify, “but you  _can_  tell me anything.”

Barry nodded, an inkling of confidence rising in his belly from the affection in Cisco’s eyes. “You see, after the whole Patty thing went south, I was feeling really down about myself.” He looked down and started fiddling with his hands again. “I felt like I wasn’t doing well in the lady department, so I tried to branch out more in the other direction… I mean, I always knew I was bi, I just never really sought men out as much, I guess.” His pitch was all over the place, nerves making his voice crack after every other word.

He looked up to see if Cisco was still listening. Of course he was.

“So… I started going out after we finished at the labs, to different clubs and bars to try to meet people.” Barry continued, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked anywhere but at Cisco’s caring gaze. “I never told anyone because it felt sort of embarrassing. Turns out, meeting a quality guy at a bar is next to impossible… I still went, though. I tried to start things up with a few guys, we would text or talk for a few days. We would always end up, you know, going all the way.” His hands gesticulated fiercely as his nerves got the best of him.

“And then they wouldn’t call back. I made it clear that I wasn’t just looking for a hookup, but everyone else just seemed to be playing a game.” He sounded defeated, his nervous hands shaking in his lap.

Cisco reached out and held Barry’s hands, stilling them as he caressed his skin with his thumb. Barry met his eyes and gave a weak smile, the nerves in his chest stilling ever so slightly.

“I guess, I just don’t want something like that to happen to us. I want us to be different. I want it to mean something.” He held Cisco’s hands tighter. “I want to go slow and really appreciate every step we take, Cisco.” He looked deeply into Cisco’s eyes, scared that he was being too presumptuous or coming on too strong.

Cisco just gave him a loving smile and lifted Barry’s hands to his lips, giving a soft kiss. “As you wish,” he said, the most charming grin grew across his face.

Of course he would find a way to quote a movie right now.

Barry was astonished at how easily Cisco accepted this news and his proposition. He was so worried that the idea of him going to bars and hooking up with strange men (plural) would turn Cisco away. He sat there stunned, his heart doing flips in his chest as Cisco smiled back at him, easily agreeing to exactly what Barry wanted.

Cisco noticed he was at a loss for words, and reached his hands up to cup his face and give him a long, sweet kiss, rubbing his thumb on Barry’s cheek. When they pulled away, Cisco held Barry’s face close, “In case you haven’t noticed, we already are different. You already mean so much to me. And if you want to take things slow or if you want to take things fast or if you don’t want to do anything at all, that is more than okay with me.”

Cisco was such a gentleman and Barry couldn’t believe his luck. They ended up cuddling close that night, not falling asleep for a long time while their fingers drew shapes and circles over each other lovingly.

~

Now, as the warm morning light danced on his skin, Barry smiled contentedly at how things turned out. This whole trip Cisco was shocking him left and right: the handholding at the diner, the way he handled the rude man there, the flirting and playfulness, the creative use of his powers, the dancing, and the way he cared deeply about Barry shining through all of those moments in a way they had never before.

Cisco was always special to Barry. They had been each other’s best friends and team mates for years now. But Barry hadn’t realized until recently that all of those caring, proud feelings he had were more than just friendly. Cisco mattered to him, on a deeper level than he realized, and all it took was some separation from their norm to reveal that.  _Why is Caitlin always right?_  Barry thought to himself.

Cisco wiggled next to him, giving a big yodeling yawn as he stretched then cuddled in deeper to their embrace. Barry nuzzled his nose against the back of Cisco’s neck and gave a small kiss there. Cisco leaned into it, shivering a little at the touch.

Barry softly kissed him again, smiling at the tiny moans Cisco was trying to suppress. He kissed a trail along the side of Cisco’s neck, then his jaw. Cisco turned to meet him as Barry moved to hover over Cisco.

Their lips met in a soft, warm kiss, Barry’s hand on Cisco’s cheek and Cisco’s arm wrapping around Barry’s waist, pulling him down on top of him.

The kiss ended with an “oh,” from both of them as their inevitable morning wood brushed together. Barry bit his bottom lip, but didn’t move away. Cisco looked to Barry for an answer, not wanting to force him too far.

Cisco’s concerned, caring look was enough to make Barry melt right there. He just kissed him again, holding his body close to Cisco’s and wrapping their legs together.

Their kiss deepened as Barry lightly ground against Cisco. The shorter man couldn’t help a moan escape from the feeling.

Ever since the morning before (but let’s be honest, way before that) Cisco had yearned for this. He tried so hard not to push farther in order to keep Barry comfortable, as his thoughts turned to the hard erection sliding over his and the hot mouth on his skin.

Barry smirked at the response he got from Cisco, proud to see that  _he_  was making him feel that way. He pushed a little harder into him, kissing under his jaw now and biting a little. Cisco’s back arched from the sensations, his fingers going to Barry’s hair in an effort to not grab for more than was given.

One of Barry’s hands made it Cisco’s hair, carding his fingers through and tugging lightly. A whimper came from Cisco’s mouth near his ear and it spurred Barry on more. He ground rhythmically against Cisco now, beginning to vibrate a little.

Cisco jumped a little at the new sensation, a yelp of a moan coming from him. This was getting to be too much for him. Cisco slowed his breathing down as he thought about the conversation they had the night before. Barry wanted to take things slow; that was what he said, at least. The last thing Cisco wanted was to go against his wishes. He wanted whatever this was becoming to be great and that meant respecting the boundaries they set up, even if that also meant peeling yourself away from the adorably hot man sucking hickeys on your neck.

And that was exactly what he did. As Barry’s vibrating almost pushed him over the edge, he placed two hands on Barry’s hips and sat them both up, sliding Barry down his lap slightly so they weren’t brushing up against each other’s erections.

Barry pulled back from Cisco’s neck immediately and gave him a quizzical, worried look.

Cisco gave a small sigh, lamenting the loss of contact, but was steady in his response and sure in his words. “So, I know you’re a speedster and all and that time is relative to you, but what exactly do you mean by going slow? I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”

At the words Barry sighed, as well, dropping his head and giving a little giggle. “You’re right,” he said, finally, looking back up at Cisco. “I mean, I don’t really have an itinerary…?” He held his hands up in confusion.

Cisco chuckled, “Aw, damn, I was hoping we’d get to second base by Tuesday,” he said, checking his imaginary watch.

Barry giggled with him and held his hands. “I guess I just don’t want to rush things. Take time getting to learn each other,” his voice dropped to a sultry, teasing tone as he scooted back up fully onto Cisco’s lap.

Cisco’s vocal chords betrayed him with a tiny whimper at the movement. He cleared his throat, “I’m good at learning.” _Wow, great bedroom talk_ , he couldn’t help but berate himself. “Especially when the subject is so fascinating.” _Nice save, right?_ He asked himself.

Barry smiled and leaned in, cupping Cisco’s face with his hands and giving him a long, sweet kiss. When they pulled away he kept Cisco’s face near, “We’ll need to be thorough, of course.” He said teasingly, a small smile betraying his bedroom-eyes look he was trying hard for.

A smirk played on Cisco’s face, as Barry started to get up and unzip their tent. “If thorough is what we’re going for then what was all that vibrating about?” He asked, his nearly-gone erection giving a little jerk at the thought.

Barry turned back to give him a playful smile through the opening in the tent, “Looks like someone’s trying to read ahead. Stay with the class, Mr. Ramon,” then he turned away to start breakfast.

Cisco gave a happy groan as he flopped back down on his back and conjured back memories of that delightful buzzing that Barry emitted all around him.

~

After breakfast there was an executive decision made by the attending members of Team Flash that all said members would take the afternoon to relax and shower. “Let it be known!” Cisco decreed as he splashed into their little lagoon, Barry gliding in the water with one artful dive.

They took turns sharing the tiny waterfall to get all the grime off from the night before.

Barry was never more grateful for his superspeed than in that moment. (Okay, maybe when defeating multiple supervillains and time travelling, but still.) He was able to steal glances as Cisco ran his fingers through his hair and inflated the seconds as he followed a few droplets trail down the beautiful body before him.

His mouth went dry and his heart thumped when the last drop he followed made it to the waistband of Cisco’s swimming trunks. Thoughts of the heated early morning, not far from his mind to begin with, crept up to conduct his current train of thought.

Gulping, he tore his eyes away before Cisco could notice a thing.

Thankfully, Cisco was about done with his makeshift shower and slipped back down into the pool. He found purchase on the opposite bank and propped himself up by his arms after finger combing his long hair into submission.

When he looked up Barry was under the waterfall this time and Cisco couldn’t help but stare, jaw slacked in awe at the gorgeous man.

As he turned under the water, Cisco took in every detail, remembering their morning, as well. He couldn’t help but bite his fist at the sight, thinking to himself,  _Sorry, Bulbasaur, Electric is my new favorite type_.

Barry turned and saw the damage he was doing to Cisco and couldn’t help a little giggle escaping. After a moment or two more of artful turns under the water, he stepped out of the waterfall and glided up close to Cisco, who still had his fist in his mouth while watching Barry’s every move.

Barry playfully bit Cisco’s fist, too, then pulled away when the shorter man realized how silly he looked. Barry shrugged, “Just wanted to see what the fuss was all about.”

“You’d need a mirror for that,” Cisco quipped, placing his hands on Barry’s hips to hold him a little closer.

Barry chuckled and pecked at Cisco’s divine lips. “What do you want to do today, good sir?”

“Hm” Cisco thought as he looked up at the darkening sky above them, the clouds rolling with a steady wind. “Well, I do say dear Watson, it looks like rain.”

Barry looked up too and then snapped back down to Cisco with an indignant look. “Wait, wait, wait,  _I’m_  Watson? You can’t be Sherlock AND Poppins. You’re taking all the best Brits.”

“Hey, hold up, you said you liked Bert and plus you’re more Watson anyway. I get all wrapped up in my projects like Sherlock and you’re out there charming people and being all charismatic like Watson.”

Barry pondered this a moment, “True, but you’re charismatic, too! Also, Sherlock was tall and Watson, you know, not so much.”

“Oh, oh, I see,” Cisco said, rolling his eyes dramatically “gotta bring height into it. That’s fine, sure, doesn’t both me at all, not a bit, nuh uh,” he said crossing his arms and looking anywhere but at Barry.

Barry giggled and pressed a warm kiss to Cisco’s cheek, “just so you know, you’re perfect just the way you are.”

Cisco gave him a side eyed look.

Barry sighed, “and I guess you can be Poppins  _and_  Sherlock”

Cisco beamed and planted a smack of a kiss on Barry’s lips. “Thanks, Bear. I knew you’d see things my way.” He teased.

Barry grinned and then had an idea, “Definitely. These will be great couple’s costumes. I’d love to see you pull off a Ms. Poppins.”

“Oh, honey, you know you can’t wait to catch me in a skirt,” Cisco grinned, rolling with Barry’s teasing jab.

Barry had a response ready on his lips before the sky opened up above them and the heavens crashed down with the severity and suddenness of turning off a light in the dead of the night.

There was a white noise surrounding them coming from the haze of the falling sheets of thick tropical rain. A chorus of sounds playing off of broad, waxy leaves and hard, warm stone.

Cisco gave a shriek at the abruptness of the storm, but then gave a huge laugh as he tilted his head up above. Barry shook his head and smiled, leaning close to Cisco’s ear so he could hear. “We should get out of the rain, don’t wanna get struck by lightning.”

Cisco chuckled and shook his head, moving to lie down on the bank and feel the rain crash down on him. The warmth of the water and the air mixed wonderfully with the slight wind of the falling droplets. He took in a deep breath, feeling the humid, earthy air fill his lungs. An idea popped into his head.

Barry let Cisco have his moment while he had his, floating in the pool, watching the rain fall from the sky and the canopy above. He had no reason to fear the lightning, he actually wondered if it might tickle. With his ears submerged just under the surface of the water, he could hear the muffled explosions as the steady sheets of rain battered the once still lagoon.

His thoughts were interrupted by a pebble bouncing off his chest. He peeked up to see a crouching Cisco, hair dripping with streams of rain, slightly muddy from the bank. Cisco jerked his eyes and motioned towards the tree line and looked back at Barry expectantly.

No words were needed as Barry joined Cisco on land and they descended into the rainy jungle before them.

They started off at a slight run, giddy with the energy from the rains and the prospect of exploration. Tumbling through barely-there foot paths, they jumped off one soaked patch of moss to another.  

Keeping a similar pace, yet forging their own paths, the pair crashed through the already lively, loud jungle. Most of the rain was caught by the canopy above, only to slink and slide through the branches, vines, and leaves to plop down on Cisco’s or Barry’s skin leaving the scent of the jungle stuck to them.

Cisco slipped on a patch of unexpected mud and was covered on all his limbs and his torso; some even clung to his hair, giving him wet, muddy locks that he tried to shake out. His attempt only resulted in a mud splattered face.

When Barry rounded the corner, stopping short of the muddy disaster, he whooped out laughter at Cisco’s new look. He couldn’t help but notice how endearing the guy looked, his bright smile shining through the thick layers of mud and rain.

Cisco giggled and continued to play in the mud, stomping around and covering himself head to toe. It felt cool and comforting as it clung to his skin. “I feel like a mud monster from some old 50s horror movie. Arrrrgggghhhh!!!” He clomped towards Barry, hands raised in a zombie stance.

Barry laughed along and swiftly avoided the oncoming attack. “You kinda look like Tarzan with those muddy dreads.”

Cisco stopped dead in his tracks, then puffed out his chest and sat up straighter. “You really think I look like Tarzan?” He asked incredulously.

Barry shrugged, “Yeah, like the kid Tarzan at the beginning of the movie with his cute little baby dreads.”

“Oh, that’s the last straw, Allen,” Cisco threatened as he charged towards Barry in an attempt to cover him in mud.

Of course, Barry deftly avoided the attack, chuckling to himself.

Cisco knew Barry’s speed would help him win this battle, but he remembered yet again that he, too, had superpowers. He crouched down into the mud and slid his hand under the surface, palm facing Barry. He emitted a small sonic boom, exploding a shower of mud all over Barry as he tried to run away.

Barry stopped in his tracks and looked down at the speckles of mud all over him. “How did you even…?” He looked up at Cisco with challenge in his eyes and darted straight for him.

There was nothing Cisco could do but accept the blow as Barry tackled him back into the mud and pinned him down.

Cisco gave an _umph_ at the blow, but quickly countered, grabbing Barry by the hips and rolling them over, covering Barry head to toe in mud.

They romped there awhile, tossing each other around and pinning each other down. Both of them were aware of the electric charge between them as they breathed heavily, slamming their bodies against one another in their fighting.

Eventually, Cisco pinned Barry down and his mouth followed hard behind, planting a rough, loving kiss to Barry’s waiting lips.

Barry returned the heated, heavy kiss with just as much vigor, grabbing Cisco’s hips and pulling his body harder against his. They were nothing but teeth and tongues as they sucked and bit and explored one another’s mouths as if it was the last bit of oxygen in the universe.

A deafening clap of thunder broke terrifyingly close to them, which caused Cisco to snap up and gasp, breaking their spell.

They sat tangled together in the mud, laughing and breathing heavily from all the activity. The rain still poured down from above and their exploratory spirits were not yet sated.

They helped one another to their feet as they tried to slough off the majority of the mud, leaving a nice bright red glow of clay caked on.

Turning back to their unforged path, they continued on, slower this time, taking in the colorful plants and flowers, their fingers intertwined.

~

It was about thirty minutes later when they came across a small clearing in the trees and the rain let up slightly in its intensity. They crashed down onto the wet ground and just enjoyed the silence of the jungle, their hands still holding onto one another.

When Cisco turned to look at Barry, he saw him already looking back, a contented smile spreading on both of their faces.

Suddenly, Barry’s face fell and a look of terror and anger replaced it. Cisco panicked and turned to follow where Barry was looking.

Springing up to their feet, Barry protectively positioning Cisco behind him, they watched a steady swarm of mosquitos creep from behind the tree line. The swarm was very intact and moved dauntingly close to them.

Barry could see eyes sparking in the trees just beyond, “Hey!” he called out, “Who are you?”

Cisco saw the eyes, too, and gave a panicked shriek. “ _La Mosca_ …” he whispered to himself in awe.

To both of their surprise, the girl showed her face, creeping out of the shadows ever so slightly. She was fair skinned, red orange hair damp from the rains framed the sides of her face. Her jaw was set and her eyes were fierce. Barry and Cisco both knew that look, and it meant trouble.

Cisco could see Barry tense up, he placed a hand on his shoulder to try and level him. They still didn’t know anything about this girl. Now was their chance to find out. Barry looked back for a fraction of a second and saw Cisco’s pleading look, then grudgingly stepped to the side so he could speak with the girl.

“Soy Cisco. Este es mi amigo, Barry. Estamos de vacaciones, y no pretendemos hacerle daño. ¿Cómo se llama?” Cisco assumed she spoke Spanish given where they were.

The girl’s brow furrowed and her eyes teemed darker, “You say you’re on vacation, but what kind of Americans go tromping through this thick part of the jungle? Developers, probably. Why are you here?!” She shrieked the last sentence, the swarm of mosquitos sounded agitated and progressed further.

“We’re just traveling, I swear! We don’t want to hurt this jungle, at all. Wait, you speak English? How did you get here?” Cisco tried to get answers while also trying to calm down the situation.

The girl did  _not_ want to answer any questions and wasn’t happy with any of Cisco’s answers. The swarm shot forward as Cisco saw the girl’s anger break into sadness.

Barry got to Cisco first, doing his arm-windmill trick to scatter the bugs. He turned to make sure Cisco was okay, fury in his eyes. His chest swelled with blind anger at the thought of someone hurting Cisco directly in front of him. He knew better than to go after the girl, but the growing rage inside of him took over.

Cisco saw the rage in Barry’s eyes as he turned away and sped after the girl who was now hiding amongst the trees. He grabbed her and brought her back to the clearing, slamming her into the ground and knocking the air out of her. She looked terrified at the display of power. “What the hell is your problem?!” Barry couldn’t help but spit out, before the swarm turned on him.

He intercepted the attack quickly, scattering and disorienting the bugs with his wind. He looked back at the girl who now stood defiantly. Apparently, the girl had moxie. She sent another swarm toward him as Barry began running in a tight circle.

_Oh, no_ , Cisco thought as he saw Barry charging his lightning. “Barry, don’t!” He called, to no avail. The swarm was now beginning to descend on Barry as he continued to charge his attack, but Cisco wasn’t having any of it.

He ran up close to Barry, seeing the mosquitos turning back for more, and before he knew what he was doing, he threw his arms up and everything got quiet around them. Barry stopped and looked around, too.

Cisco had made an impermeable force field around the two of them: rain slid down the sides easily as if it were glass and the mosquitos bounced off flying backwards. They saw the girl standing there, eyes and mouth wide with shock before she turned and escaped into the thick vegetation.

When she and her mosquitos were gone, Cisco dropped his arms with a heavy breath and the rain continued to pore down on them. Barry was stunned.

“How…? Did you always know…? What even was that?” He couldn’t pick a question.

“I-I don’t know,” Cisco just looked at the ground and shook his head, still caught up on the lonely, sad girl they just encountered. “Barry, why did you go after her so harshly?”

Barry looked confused. “She was trying to hurt you, Cisco.” He said, taking a step toward him, his arms raised as if he were pleading. “We don’t know what kind of powers she has.”

“She did that out of fear… She’s obviously in pain and lonely. She spoke perfect English, doesn’t even look like she’s from around here, and is scared and sad. We need to help her, Bear.”

Barry just shook his head incredulously, “Are you serious!? She just tried to attack us with a swarm of juiced up jungle bugs because we asked her name. We can’t go after her, she obviously doesn’t want company.”

Cisco just stared back at Barry. How could he be so bitter about this girl? Wasn’t it obvious something bigger was going on here than just wanting alone time? “Why can’t we help this girl when we try to help literally every other meta we have ever encountered?”

Barry didn’t have much to say, he just folded his arms and said shortly, “She tried to hurt you. I don’t see why we need to chase her down and provoke her again.” He couldn’t help the way he bristled at the idea of someone hurting Cisco. He wasn’t about to go poke an unknown bear to see if it wanted tea, not when someone so special could be put in harm’s way.

Cisco was about done with this conversation. Barry was truly disappointing him, for like the first time ever, and it was all because of this hyper-protective mode he now apparently had around Cisco. “Just ‘cause we’re on vacation doesn’t mean you get to stop being a hero, Barry.”

Barry didn’t say anything back, just looked into Cisco eyes, hoping he’d understand that his reasons all stem from this deep affection he has for the shorter, muddy man standing before him.

Cisco looked away and started walking back to their campsite, “Whatever, let’s go back.” He sounded defeated and deflated.

Barry scooped him up and zipped them back quickly, putting Cisco down slowly. Cisco jumped out of Barry’s arms, agitated. He quickly rinsed off in the pool before retreating to their cavern alone, to dry off and cool off.

Barry sat in the rain, giving Cisco some space. He hung his head in his hands, mentally berating himself for being such an idiot.  _Why am I letting this cloud my judgment? I never would’ve tried to strike her if I wasn’t so upset about Cisco getting hurt. I care about him, but I can’t let it affect me this badly._

Thoughts of his nightmares about Patty swam to the forefront of his mind: Zoom taking her from him, her life slipping through Barry’s fingers no matter how hard he tried. Pushing her away was the only good option he had, the only viable one. She wasn’t able to defend herself against the evil speedster, so letting her go was the safest way.

When that meta-girl attacked them earlier, his thoughts were only of Cisco. He wouldn’t let anyone he cared for get harassed or hurt again, if he could help it. That was the only thing running in his mind as he geared up to take down this _bug girl._

Being a hero meant more than plunging yourself into battle, though. It required a strong moral compass and knowing when to fight and when to help. And Barry knew this. He couldn’t let his affection for Cisco affect his abilities as a hero. That wouldn’t be fair to him, anyone in need of help, and especially wouldn’t be fair to Cisco.

Barry continued to sit in the rain, a frown and furrowed brow contorting his face, contemplating how to fix this.

Cisco was dry and curled up in their tent, hogging all of the pillows and blankets just so Barry would know he wasn’t invited if he came back too soon. 

Cisco couldn’t believe how Barry went so rough with the girl all of a sudden. Worry had filled his chest at the sight of fury and contempt in Barry’s eyes when he turned on the girl. Usually he’d play defense while trying to figure out a quick and easy way to take down an opponent without the need for excessive violence. This time, though, he was going for the throat.

_It was all for me, too._ Cisco thought as guilt swam heavily in the pit of his stomach, clutching the blankets near his heart. He felt responsible for Barry’s actions (partly, at least). He couldn’t stand the idea that Barry only tried to hurt the girl because of the growing intimacy between them and the threat she posed to that connection. He shook his head, _I will not let myself be the reason he hurts people. Even if I have to pull myself away._ _If I’m the reason that he stops caring so much about others, then what good does that do?_

He thought of the sad girl with that horribly pained look on her face. She seemed lonely and terrified. Cisco couldn’t help but be reminded of his own struggle with his powers. The fear and isolation he felt from his horrific visions, not wanting to burden his friends or brand himself as damaged, he kept to himself. Those were the worst months of his life (and there was a lot of competition for that title).

Harry outing him wasn’t the way he envisioned telling his friends, but he was grateful because it allowed him to come to terms with his fears and to not only face them, but own them. He was now proud of his powers and always looked forward to training sessions, eager to hone his skills and unlock new abilities.

This meta-girl, alone in the jungle, was probably going through a similar experience of isolation and distress. It pained Cisco to know he could probably help her if given the chance, but Barry ensured that that wouldn’t happen after his display of _machismo_ earlier.

Cisco sat up and scrubbed a hand over his face, letting out a long breath of frustration. He wasn’t about to stand by and let Barry’s hasty actions define the outcome of this poor girl’s life. He drew his tablet near, pulling up schematics for an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many different roller coasters of emotion right now! These guys are having a helluvatime figuring out how they fit together.
> 
> Kudos and comments are loved!


	7. Not Everyone Needs Saving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cisco and Barry go out after La Mosca. Cisco hopes to help the poor girl, Barry hopes to prove he's still the hero Cisco knows him to be.

A few hours later the intense storm finally passed and the jungle was back to its original chorus of chirping and warbling.

Cisco emerged from the tent, his tablet in hand as he tried to figure out a plan. Looking up, he saw Barry sitting across their cavern fidgeting with a furrowed brow.

“Hey,” Cisco said quietly, walking over and sitting down by Barry, just out of arms reach.

“Cisco!” Barry breathed, obviously shocked that Cisco was even speaking to him. “I’m so sorry for everything that happened! I feel like such an idiot. I want to help this girl, I do, I swear. I know it means a lot to you and, besides that, I wasn’t being myself and I want to make up for that. What can we do?” The words spilled out now that he finally had the chance to say them. He wanted Cisco to know that he was still Barry, the same guy who stuck his neck out for strangers, not some crazed possessive super-jock.

No response came from Cisco, he just gaped at Barry’s rushed monologue. He was happy to hear the words, but at the same time he needed to see the change before he would believe it. Without responding to anything Barry said, he showed him the tablet. “So, I believe this area is where we encountered her. If we go back there I could maybe vibe her and find her hideout.”

Barry’s brow furrowed even more. “Then what? We try talking again? That didn’t work out so well last time.” Barry reached a hand out for Cisco’s, wanting to feel him there and safe.

Cisco artfully dodged the touch, getting up to rummage through their belongings. Barry definitely noticed as his hand hung empty in the air then retreated back to his lap.

Cisco spent some time looking for the  _damned bugspray_ , he thought to himself.  _I vibed that moment. Packed the damn spray. I was prepared. How did I not see_ ** _this_** _coming though?_  He couldn’t stop thinking about how things felt between him and Barry. The last thing he wanted was to change the speedster, make him any less of the hero he truly was. It was upsetting Cisco that Barry changed so quickly in such a short amount of time. Sure, he was happy for all the intimacy they shared and he definitely wanted more. But at what cost? Seeing Barry turn away from someone in need was deeply upsetting and Cisco would not let himself be the reason for that. Even if it meant keeping a distance from the person who made his stomach and heart do synchronized somersaults.

Finally, he turned back to Barry with a few cans of military grade bug spray. “I think this might help us get a few words in.”

Barry gave a small smile, walking over to Cisco to take a can and look it over. “How are you always so prepared?”

Cisco shrugged, “Vibing helps,” he said flatly.

Barry smiled at him now, that damned pride he felt creeping up to strangle his heart. He looked into Cisco’s eyes and started to lean forward for a kiss, but he was met with air as Cisco quickly turned away for more gear. Barry deflated instantly. This was going horribly.

~

Cisco and Barry finally made it to the clearing from earlier in the day. The sun was starting to set now and the jungle was growing darker and more ominous. Barry put Cisco down gently after speeding them there and Cisco took a few steps away.

Putting on his goggles, he reached up and felt the tree that the girl had been closest to. His eyes dilated and he saw faint images of the girl, swiftly running through the jungle. He followed her path as closely as possible until he saw her stop in the center of a giant papaya grove and collapse, crying, onto the ground.

He took off the goggles and gave Barry a somber look. “I found her. She’s in bad shape.” He started walking through the jungle, Barry following behind him. “The papayas are real, by the way.” He threw over his shoulder. He couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his tone after seeing the poor girl again.

Barry cringed at the words as guilt swam in his stomach.

~

They walked for almost an hour, Cisco keeping a few steps ahead of Barry, Barry trying hard to give him his space.

The both of them were silent, their minds racing with how to maneuver not only the new meta situation but also this awkward, bitter tension between them.

Barry knew he was acting out earlier, going after the girl. He let his affection for Cisco cloud his judgment. Nothing else in the world mattered at that moment except Cisco’s safety. He knew this wouldn’t work out well after they returned to Central City. The Flash still had a job to do and can’t let himself get distracted or enraged so easily. This was something Barry had to work out with himself, but he still needed to let Cisco know that he’s got his head on right. He watched the shorter man pick his way through the jungle, wanting more than anything to stop him and explain everything. But Barry knew that in this case, actions would speak louder than words.

Moments later, Cisco poked his head through a thick wall of brush and stopped dead in his tracks. He turned back around and gave Barry a focused look and a thumbs up. They had found the papaya grove.

Cisco came up to Barry and whispered to him, “You stay out here; I’m going to go in and talk with her.” He looked up at Barry for a response.

Barry’s mouth flew open, an objection on his tongue, but he thought twice and simply nodded. His gut twisted at the idea of Cisco going in alone, without Barry able to see what was going on. But he knew it was best to let him do this, for the meta and to show that Barry could keep a cool head. He reached out and grabbed Cisco’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Cisco didn’t pull away. He needed the encouragement at the moment, fear bubbling in his blood at the unknown. He squeezed back, giving a small smile, before turning back to the brush and disappearing behind it.

The air was the first thing to hit him; sticky, sweet, heavy, warm air planted him in his tracks. The earthy, juicy smell of the fruit danced into his consciousness and swirled around his brain as he tried to comprehend the entrancing aroma. The bright oranges and yellows of the hanging fruit shone around him like string lights illuminating a moonlit, backyard party. He was amazed not only at the size of the fruit, but the way the branches didn’t seem bothered by the added weight.

“Holy mother of secret gardens,” was his oh-so-eloquent response to the unearthly beauty before him.

His peaceful demeanor was shattered when La Mosca showed herself from behind a tree, a swarm of mosquitos hovering angrily near her. Cisco swallowed deeply, putting up his hands in surrender. “I didn’t come here to fight you. I just want to talk. I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“How did you find me?” she asked coldly.

“Uh,” Cisco scratched the back of his head. “Long story, kind of? I have powers… like you… I can- I can see things.”

The girl’s brow furrowed further, “There’s no one like me,” she said sadly. But curiosity sparked in her eyes, “what do you want from me?”

Cisco sat down on the jungle floor and put his hands in his lap. “I just want to know that you’re okay. I know you’ve been here awhile, but you don’t seem like you’re from here. In my visions you looked very upset. I just want you to know you’re not alone in this world.”

“Of course I’m not alone. I’ve got this entire jungle, full of life, to keep me company.” She stood, very sure of herself as she said those words. She took a step or two closer to Cisco, the swarm abating but keeping near. “But you’re right, I’m not from here.”

Cisco listened intently, not taking his eyes off of the girl. “Where are you from?” He asked cautiously.

The girl was silent a moment; it was obvious she was weighing her options of being truthful or ditching the whole thing.

Cisco spoke up again, “I’m from Central City. I’ve lived there almost my whole life and I came here for a vacation.” He thought if he shared a little, she would, too.

Her eyes widened at the mention of Central City. “I’m… I’m from Metropolis,” she said the words slowly, eyes confused as if she was remembering it for the first time. “But I lived in Central City for a while. I was in school there.” At the end she nodded her head firmly, almost as if she was just realizing this were true.

“Where did you go to school? Maybe we went to the same place.”

“Central City University of the Sciences,” she looked off in the distance, the memories coming back to her slowly. “I studied ecosystems and sustainability.” She gave a faint grin at that.

Cisco chuckled a bit, as well. “That’s a great school. Did you ever finish?”

She slowly shook her head no, sadness and hurt creeping into her expression. “Something happened. I don’t really know what. I just remember waking up on my lab floor, everything was broken, specimens were everywhere. I was working on bugs, I remember.” She looked over fondly to her swarm of mosquitos close by. “I just woke up and immediately felt suffocated. By the walls, the ceiling, the concrete, the plaster.” She shook her head as she thought of it all. “I just ran. I bolted out of there and I literally hugged a tree. It was my lifeline.” She came and sat on the ground in front of Cisco, feeling comfortable enough in the moment.

Cisco nodded along as he listened intently. It was all starting to make sense to him now.

“I started running south. I would’ve taken a bus, but the thought of getting inside of that metal box was too much. Along the way, bugs started following me. At first it freaked me out, but they were always nice. I learned that I could persuade them to do what I needed.”

“Persuade?” Cisco couldn’t help but ask.

She nodded, looking up suddenly, as if she forgot he was there. “I can’t really make them do what I want. They are living beings, after all and have their own free will, even if it is as tiny as a sugar ant. I can only persuade or suggest them to go along with me. So far, they always have.”

Cisco was intrigued. He knew Caitlin would be going berserk if she was here. “When did this happen to you?”

The girl looked up at him, “Almost two years ago.”

That confirmed everything Cisco was thinking. He gave a small grin, “I know how you got your powers. It was the same way I got mine. The particle accelerator at STAR Labs blew up and sent all kinds of foreign matter into the city. In fact, there are dozens of people like us, all with their own powers.” Cisco couldn’t help but sound excited, thinking about all the neat, various metas he’d encountered.

The girl contemplated this awhile. She stood back up, a stoic expression on her face. “This changes nothing, though. I’m still staying in this jungle.”

Cisco stood up, too, looking her directly in the eyes. “You don’t have to stay here. You can come back with me and Barry. We can help you learn more about your powers and help you feel comfortable in a city again, with people.”

“I said, I’m staying,” she spat out, lifting her arms as the swarm of mosquitos moved forward, humming dangerously. “I am the protector of this jungle and there is no one who can take me from it.”

Cisco threw his hands up defensively, “I didn’t say you had to, but you can. For a while and you can come back. You don’t have to be alone here.” He was starting to sound desperate.

She grew even angrier, “I’m  _not_  alone! I’m the protector of this jungle and I’m  _staying_!” At her last word the swarm descended upon Cisco before he could think twice about fighting back.

Tiny pin pricks stung all over his skin, not a single square inch survived without a bite. The huge influx of mosquito saliva caused his entire body to itch instantly, making him seize in pain. He watched the girl back away towards the trees, her eyes trained maniacally on the horror swarming Cisco. Finally, he squeezed out a loud, “BAR—“ He was cut off by Barry zipping up instantly to his side.

Barry took in the scene, the swarm surrounding Cisco and now heading for him, the girl creeping into the shadows to make her escape. He tried his windmill trick again but the bugs were everywhere and it only served to stir them up more. Now Barry was being covered in bites, crying out as they all sank into his skin in unison. He vibrated quickly, the bugs zipping away at the strange sensation. He caught his breath and crawled over to Cisco from where he fell on the ground in agony.

He cradled Cisco’s head, trying to keep his eyes from scanning his badly bitten body. “Cisco? Are you okay? What happened?”

Cisco just nodded shortly, wincing in pain at the movement. “Guess even military grade bug spray wouldn’t have helped this.”

Barry would’ve given a chuckle but he whirled around, scanning the tree line for the girl. Rage filled his belly after seeing Cisco in such a condition.

He turned back to Cisco when he felt a hand grab his. “Don’t.” Cisco winced. “Don’t go after her.”

“But!” Barry started.

“Don’t!” Cisco demanded, squeezing his hand harder. “She did this because she was scared. Not everyone can be saved.” He ended his demand with a sad tone to his voice.

Barry clenched his jaw, but nodded in response. He carefully lifted Cisco up, bridal style, holding him close. Cisco lazily wrapped his arms around Barry’s neck, wincing in pain.

Before he knew it they were back at their camp, Barry gently placing Cisco down on their makeshift bed.

Barry zipped out and back in again, holding a tube of itch relief and a bottle of Advil. Cisco sat up and took the medicine, squeezing Barry’s hand reassuringly. He let Barry take off his shirt and sighed in relief at the cooling sensation of the gel Barry was slowly and methodically rubbing on his back.

Barry took this opportunity and laid Cisco down on his stomach, massaging his back carefully. Cisco tried to stifle so many little moans of pleasure at Barry’s touches. He melted under the speedster’s hands and went limp as he let Barry turn him over, straddling him and working on his chest now.

Cisco watched Barry’s every move, taking in every touch and caress as he combed every inch of Cisco’s body with the medicine. Cisco bit his bottom lip when Barry ran his thumb along the waistband of his shorts. Barry looked up at him and their eyes locked.

The worry and stress from the entire encounter and their rollercoaster of emotions seemed to melt away with Barry’s methodical, loving touches. Cisco made up his mind that things really were okay. Barry really stepped up to the plate earlier by stepping back and letting Cisco put his neck on the line for once. That required a lot of trust and Cisco was ecstatic that Barry finally showed that he trusted his abilities so much. Besides, Barry was too adorable to stay mad at for too long.

So, he decided that he was over the cold shoulder thing. He reached up and grabbed a fistful of Barry’s collar and pulled him down into a sweet, loving kiss. At the start of the kiss Barry gave a little whimper, as he was not expecting this at all. He went along with it happily, running his fingers up into Cisco’s hair as their lips pressed together warmly.

The kiss lingered for a moment and when they broke apart their foreheads met. Hot breath ghosting on one another’s lips.

Barry was the first to speak. He lifted his head up a little, guilt and regret written on his face. “Cisco, I’m so so sorry about how much of an ass I was earlier. You were totally right about everything. I can’t let my feelings affect my duties as a hero. No matter how strong those feelings are. I just, I really want you to know I’m not some like roided out superhero bent on possession. I mean, I really care about you and I would love to say you were mine, but I don’t want you to think that I’m going to be some super-jock-y ass about it. I’m just, I’m sorry.” He finished by dropping his head onto Cisco’s shoulder, heaving a big sigh.

Cisco rubbed Barry’s back and turned his head towards Barry’s on his shoulder. “It’s okay. I know all of those things. You’re Barry after all.” He said with a grin and a little chuckle. “I know you. Like scary well, dude. I was just really upset when you seemed to change so suddenly. I didn’t want to be the reason you couldn’t be the great guy I know you are.”

Barry looked up at Cisco, sitting up this time. “I’m sorry about that. But I need you to know that there’s no way you could change me and it be bad.” He was playing with Cisco’s hand now, looking down at him lovingly.

Cisco just grinned and blushed a little. He sat up and hugged Barry close, their embrace lasting awhile as they just enjoyed holding each other.

Finally, Cisco pulled away, moving Barry off of him and reaching for the gel medicine. “Are you still itchy?”

Barry shrugged, then thought about it, “Uh, yeah, definitely. Super itchy.” He turned around with a grin and lifted off his shirt.

Cisco gave a giggle at that, noticing Barry’s bites pretty much gone already. He still began to massage into his skin, loving every inch he was blessed to touch.

Cisco heart swelled with emotions. He was so happy that he and Barry figured out their little spat and even confronted the jungle meta. He was excited to still be near Barry, the concept of touching him still new and exhilarating. He was so comfortable just being around the taller man. Their friendship was the best he had ever known, and now they had this new level of intimacy to share. It wasn’t until his hands stilled from his thoughts and Barry looked over his shoulder at him, a small smile on asking if he was okay, that Cisco realized what he really vibed that one day back in his workroom.

All of those emotions he felt in the vibe could easily be swirled into one wonderful word: _love_ _._ Awe and delight danced on his face as a smile creeped at the corners of his mouth.


	8. You're Just Wow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Cisco check off some items on their intimate itinerary.
> 
> ~~~
> 
> Feelings and smut! Literally nothing but feelings and smut. haha Not sure if I should change to E rating yet or not. Hope you enjoy!

Dawn broke on the last morning of their vacation. Cisco yawned contentedly, keeping quiet so as not to disturb the adorable cooing coming from Barry who was wrapped around him in a similar position to the first morning they shared. Cisco grinned as he looked down at the ruffled tuft of hair sticking out in all directions and the tight hold Barry had around his waist.

One of Barry’s legs was cocked up and wrapped around Cisco, as well, a knee resting on his hip as the rest of Barry’s long leg wrapped around his. He couldn’t help but notice the hardness pressing into his hip from Barry’s tight embrace.

He could feel Barry stirring awake and as he wiggled to consciousness, snuggling closer into Cisco and nuzzling into his neck. Barry’s warm breath ghosted on Cisco’s collarbone, causing him to take in a sharp breath as his hair stood on end, a shiver passing down his spine.

The movement and noise was enough to shake Barry from his sleepy state of mind and take in the scene around him. A flush came to his cheeks when he realized how they were intertwined and how it was affecting Cisco. He began to pull away slightly, not sure how to maneuver the situation.

Cisco felt him move away but he wasn’t about to let that happen. He hooked a hand under the knee on his hip and pulled it closer into him, turning more towards Barry. His other hand that was trapped under Barry wrapped around the back of his neck and tilted his face up so their eyes met.

They took a moment to just look at one another, small smiles playing on their faces as they took in every detail in the early morning light. Cisco was the first to break the spell by moving forward and connecting their lips.

It started as a warm, sweet kiss, Cisco’s fingers gliding into Barry’s hair and holding him close. When he pulled away slightly, he could hear a tiny whine escape Barry’s lips followed by the speedster pulling him closer in his embrace. That was all the invitation Cisco needed.

He pulled Barry’s knee closer, wrapping the long leg around his waist and connecting their hips, their morning erections pressing against one another. They both sucked in a breath at the feeling, pausing for a moment to enjoy the sensation. Cisco pulled Barry in for another kiss and this time he wasn’t so sweet.

Their lips crashed together, a charged feeling in the air as Cisco licked into Barry’s mouth, parting his lips and sliding their tongues together. Barry went along with the pace, small sounds of pleasure escaping from the back of his throat. Cisco nipped at Barry’s bottom lip, causing Barry to suck in a breath and let out a little moan at the same time.

The hand Cisco had on Barry’s knee creeped up the strong thigh that was wrapped tightly around him. He shivered when Barry rocked his hips into his own and he felt the muscles in Barry’s leg ripple under his palm. He kissed even deeper, with a hunger, as he reached Barry’s hip, his fingers closing around it tightly, pulling Barry closer.

Cisco’s thumbs were making circles just on the inside of Barry’s hip, his hands wanting to explore more of the beautiful body lying next to him. Barry rocked against Cisco rhythmically now, matching his hungry kisses. His hand slid up into Cisco’s hair and tugged slightly, causing Cisco to moan out loud and throw his head back.

Barry took his chance and went after Cisco’s jaw, kissing his neck directly under his ear and sucking ever so slightly at the soft skin there. Cisco let out a whimper as he keened from the touch, then a growl as Barry sucked harder and rocked more forcefully into him.

Cisco could not still his hands as he reached the one on Barry’s hip around to his ass. Before, he wanted to keep his hands to himself, respecting the boundaries they set up. But with Barry doing those deliciously wonderful things to him, he couldn’t help but reach for more.

Cisco palmed Barry’s ass, one full round cheek fitting perfectly in his hand. At first he just ran his hand over the curve, appreciating the ability to touch him like this. He ran his hand over the curve and down below to the back of his thigh, then back up, grabbing his ass fully and squeezing with an air of ownership. He shivered at how unbelievably amazing this moment was.

Barry stopped sucking on Cisco’s neck and let out a breathy moan from Cisco’s hand on his ass. He continued to rock into Cisco, but with each movement he pushed back further into the wide hand, loving the tender feeling of the caress.

Cisco could spend hours just groping and appreciating the curve of Barry’s ass, but the breathy moan Barry let out directly in his ear gave him an idea. He took his opportunity and grabbed Barry’s hip again, pushing him onto his back, then hovered above him, keeping their hips connected closely.

Barry looked up at Cisco, swallowing hard at the image of the man above him: the handsome man looking down at him like there was nothing else more important in the world, his hair cascading around him, his eyes darkened with desire while a tender smile played on his lips. Barry’s heart fluttered uncontrollably at the sight, slowing down the seconds so as to catch every last detail.

Cisco’s hand came up to cup Barry’s face as he leaned down and gave him a tender, loving kiss while slowly rocking his hips against Barry. He pulled away and looked back down at the gorgeous man lying beneath him. He was scared of how Barry would react to what he would do next, but at the same time confident that, no matter what, it would be okay.

“Barry?” he asked, his hand sliding down slowly to the speedsters chest. Barry just looked up at him with a slightly quizzical look and answered with an ‘mm?’ “Tell me when you want me to stop.” Cisco couldn’t keep the small mischievous smile from his face. Barry’s eyebrows rose in shock, then his eyes narrowed with curiosity and desire. He just nodded in response, licking his lips.

Cisco’s cock twitched at the permission and he had to take a moment and remind himself to not rush things. He bent down and kissed Barry again, lovingly and with desire as he moved their tongues together. His hand slowly reached down Barry’s chest and stomach, the t-shirt he was wearing was getting in the way and would have to go.

He straddled Barry and used both hands, his fingers dancing lightly under the hem of Barry’s shirt. The speedster quivered under his touch, but continued their passionate kissing. Cisco pushed the shirt up, revealing smooth skin and taut muscles underneath. He ran his hands over Barry’s abs, whimpering to himself at the glorious feeling.

Cisco pulled away and sat up a moment, pulling Barry upright and looking him straight in the eyes as he lifted his shirt up and over his head, tossing it to the side. He never broke eye contact as he laid him back down and cupped his face in both hands, kissing him sweetly before running his hands down over Barry’s bare chest.

Barry shivered with delight from Cisco’s hands on him, warm and confident. He was horribly curious as to what Cisco would try and had loved every second of the attentive, loving touches so far. He rested his owns hands on Cisco’s thighs and let him do as he pleased.

Cisco pulled back from Barry’s mouth to trail kisses down his jaw and neck. He nipped at the soft skin near Barry’s collarbone and was greeted with a whimper near his ear. He continued to nip and bite and lick on the skin, wanting desperately to leave a hickey.

His hands caressed Barry’s chest, running his fingers over Barry’s hard nipples and teasing them ever so slightly. Barry’s back arched from the contact and Cisco knew exactly what he would be doing next. One hand came up to grab a hold on the back of Barry’s neck, a thumb rubbing against his cheek bone, as the other went back to his hip, drawing circles against the skin.

Cisco’s mouth travelled away from his futile attempt at a hickey and he grazed Barry’s skin with his lips and tongue, hyper aware of every whimper, whine, and moan that escaped Barry’s lips. Everything was so new and exciting; all of these new sounds coming from Barry were being meticulously logged in the back of his mind. Each sound was a delight and another wonderful reminder of how lucky he was to be in that moment, with someone he cared about so deeply.

His own erection was straining against his shorts, already leaking and wanting to be touched. But this morning was all about Barry, it had to be. Cisco was determined to show that Barry was worth waiting for, worth sticking around for. He was more than a one night stand or a fuck buddy.

He kissed over the strong muscled chest and came to one of Barry nipples, ecstatic to find that they were so sensitive. He passed over one and flicked a tongue out to graze him. Barry let out a louder moan than before followed by a full-body vibration that ran through him head to toe. Cisco smiled brightly at the reaction and looked up to Barry who was blushing and looking completely bashful at his outburst.

Cisco grinned at him and surged up, placing a loving, sweet kiss to his lips and running his thumb over Barry’s cheek bone. He quickly returned and attacked Barry’s nipple with his mouth, biting and licking it with a ferocity he had never known before.

Barry moaned repeatedly, back arching at the sensation, unable to keep from squirming under the waves of pleasure Cisco was causing him.

Cisco rocked against Barry’s hips with his own as he attacked the other nipple, to keep things even of course. When he was done, Barry was like putty in his hands, panting and silently pleading for more, eyes closed in pleasure and disbelief.

Their eyes met as Cisco hovered above him, yet again. Cisco trailed his hand from Barry’s neck, sliding his fingers lightly along Barry’s skin, noticing the goosebumps rise all over Barry. He leaned down and kissed him, a full, slow, loving kiss that was just as much passion as it was care.

Cisco pulled away as his hand continued down, down, and further down Barry’s long torso, enjoying and detailing each line and curve of the muscles. He watched Barry’s face with rapt attention, a sly smile on his own as he ran his thumb along the edge of Barry’s shorts, tucking the edge of his finger just under the material.

Barry gave the tiniest whimper, his eyes never leaving Cisco’s as he pleaded silently for more. Cisco arched a brow and bit his bottom lip, looking to Barry with playful eyes as he slowly ran a finger down the length of Barry’s covered erection.

Cisco watched with glee as Barry’s mouth slowly hung open, his eyes closing as his hips inched up ever so slightly. He tried so hard to suppress the vibrations his body was trying to emit, wanting to only feel what Cisco’s hands were doing to him.

When Barry opened his eyes again, Cisco had the biggest smile on his face. He looked as if he just won the lottery. He sat up and curled his fingers around the edge of Barry’s shorts, “May I?”

Barry nodded feverishly, “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!” He could barely contain himself at this point. He knew it wouldn’t take long to push him over the edge, but he wanted the satisfaction of knowing it was 100% because of Cisco and his magic hands.

Cisco couldn’t help a pleased giggle escaping as he looked to Barry’s shorts and slowly pulled them down and all the way off of Barry, leaving the speedster entirely naked, splayed out in front of him.

His mouth hung open at the sight of Barry’s erection, red and leaking already, standing at attention. Cisco couldn’t help but think _I totally did that_. He almost leaned down and swallowed him whole right there, the site was almost too much to handle. But he kept with his pace from before and stifled his urges to go wild right then and there.

When he looked back up at Barry, his friend was looking down as well, his own mouth hung open in anticipation. Barry looked up and met Cisco’s eyes and blushed from his cheeks all the way down his chest. Suddenly he realized he was completely naked. He wasn’t bothered by it, but the newness was enough to make him giggle nervously.

Cisco watched as Barry covered his face with his hands, a bright smile and giggles pouring out. His heart in his chest thumped fiercely at the adorable, sexy man he was currently sitting on top of.

He leaned down and tapped on Barry’s hands like he was knocking on a door. Barry peeked out as Cisco smiled at him. “Hey…” Cisco said, giggling a bit with Barry.

Barry continued to peek out between his fingers, “Hi,” he said biting his lip.

“So…” Cisco said, licking his lips, “You’re beautiful, you know? Like, _the_ most beautiful person I have ever seen or known. Ever.” He finished by giving a peck to Barry’s exposed chin.

Barry removed his hands, a smile playing on his red face, “You’re just saying that cause you finally have me naked,” He said playfully, grabbing Cisco’s shoulders and rolling them over so he was now on top.

Cisco knew he was joking, but still felt a pang in his heart at the accusation. He ran his hands down Barry’s back, appreciating every line and curve. He just shook his head slightly, “I’ve always thought that, Bar. And I’m going to keep saying it until you’re sick of hearing it.” Both of his hands now found Barry’s ass, cupping him and squeezing gently.

Barry moaned slightly and bucked into Cisco, biting his lip.

Cisco took his opportunity and grabbed Barry’s hips, putting them back in their previous position. He still had a job to do.

He kissed Barry deeply as his thumbs made circles on the inside of Barry’s hips. Barry pushed up into Cisco, wanting more and practically whined for it.

Cisco sat up and ran a hand lightly over Barry’s hard, leaking cock, which then twitched from the contact. Barry’s hands closed around Cisco’s thighs again as he watched Cisco’s every move.

The warm, soft, strong hand traveled down and cupped Barry’s balls, cradling them comfortably as he ran his fingers over the skin. The other hand trailed a finger from the base of Barry’s cock to the tip, where his thumb swiped over the copious amounts of precome and wiped it all down Barry’s shaft.

Barry’s breath hitched and he moaned loudly now that he was finally _finally_ being touched. Cisco grinned and licked his lips, committing every detail to memory.

His fingers wrapped around Barry’s cock, tight and controlling as he began to stroke slowly, all the way up and down. Barry was already writhing underneath him, uncontrollable moans escaping him. Apparently the speedster couldn’t handle the slow pace and Cisco smiled to himself as Barry’s hips tried desperately to not buck up into Cisco’s hand.

The hand around his cock was moving so painstakingly slow, but it was such a delightful feeling he didn’t want it to end. That’s why when Cisco’s hand left him, his eyes shot open and looked up to him to see what the problem was.

Oh, there was no problem at all. Barry watched with a slack jaw as Cisco locked eyes with him and licked his own palm, slicking his hand up for Barry’s cock. Barry bit his lip as a whimper escaped. Cisco just smirked down at him, completely aware of what he was doing to the lanky naked man in front of him.

His hand returned quickly to Barry’s cock, the new wetness causing Barry’s head to fall backwards in pleasure, a slight vibration beginning to rumble over his whole body.

Cisco began to pump Barry’s cock with hard, heavy, long strokes as he leaned forward and licked Barry’s ear, nipping lightly.

Barry lost all control at that point and began to buck into Cisco’s pumping hand, grabbing the man’s shoulders above him and kissing under his ear. Cisco moaned Barry’s name into his ear, which caused a shock of pleasure to shoot from his ear straight to his cock.

Cisco loved every second of Barry’s heavy breathing in his ear, the whimpers and the moans and the vibrations beginning to pulse out of him. He sucked and kissed on Barry’s neck, moaning and growling into the skin.

He leaned up to Barry’s ear as his hand closed tighter onto the pulsing cock in his hand. “God, Barry… You’re so fucking beautiful… Oh _dios_ … I’ve wanted to do this for so long…” Barry keened from the words, his whole body buzzing and vibrating now.

Cisco continued, “Mmm, come on… Come for me, beautiful, right in my hand, I know you want to… Oh, Bar!”

“Cisco!” The words were way too much for Barry to handle and he spilled over the edge, Cisco’s name ringing from his lips. His entire body wracked with vibrations as he pumped feverishly into Cisco’s strong grip, coming all over his hand, a loud moan escaping his parted lips as his hands gripped Cisco’s shoulders for dear life.

They stayed just like this a moment, Barry’s body giving off residual vibrations and Cisco not daring to move an inch until Barry was completely done.

When the hands gripping his shoulders fell by his side, he finally let go of Barry, biting his lip and smirking at the mess on his own hand. He grabbed Barry’s nearby shirt and cleaned himself off then turned to do the same for Barry, being as ginger as possible around the highly sensitive speedster that was now panting before him.

When all was said and done, Cisco laid down next to Barry, pulling a blanket over the two of them.

Barry turned to Cisco and nuzzled into him, wrapping his arms tightly around Cisco’s waist again.

Barry’s hand laced into Cisco’s hair as he held his friend closer to him, kissing the soft skin of Cisco’s cheek. “How… You’re… Just… wow!” He said in a breathy whisper. Cisco giggled and turned to kiss Barry sweetly on the lips, carding his own fingers into Barry’s tousled hair.

When he pulled away he whispered back, “No, you’re just wow.” Barry could feel the giggle in Cisco’s chest more than he could hear it.

They laid together a moment, Barry fading in and out of sleep as his post-orgasm haze lingered. Cisco just held him close and pressed small kisses to Barry’s forehead, running his fingers contentedly through his ruffled, soft hair.

~

An hour or so later the pair woke up again from their early morning nap. Barry was spooning Cisco, scratching his back absentmindedly while Cisco practically purred.

“How did you get so talented with your hands?” Barry couldn’t help but ask, pressing a light kiss to Cisco’s shoulder.

Cisco shrugged, “It’s less about the hands and more about paying attention.” He turned around now to face Barry, “And that comes so easy when you’re all I want to pay attention to.” A blush blossomed on his cheeks as Barry turned beet red.

Barry’s expression quickly turned from sheepish to mischievous as he trailed a hand down Cisco’s side, “So, do you come easily?”

Cisco bit his lip and gave a small laugh before grabbing Barry’s travelling hand and bringing it to his mouth for a chaste kiss. “You’ll have to find out another time.”

“Oh,” Barry was instantly confused and moved to pull his hand away. “Um, okay. I just, well, do you not- don’t you want to- you- you don’t want to?” He couldn’t bring himself to make a full sentence, worry welling up at the rejection.

Cisco shook his head feverishly, pulling Barry closer into him. “I do! I do want you to! Whenever and however you want, I do.” He kissed the worried man now, slow, sweet, and lovingly. After they pulled away, he cupped Barry’s face as he explained:

“I, just, wanted to show you that I care. That I don’t need anything from you in return. That- that I just wanted to do that for you, because I care about you and want to make you happy.

"This-“ he said, signaling between the two of them, “isn’t a game. It isn’t a bartering system where we trade affection for orgasms or the other way around. We don’t keep score or owe each other anything. I mean, I guess you know that, I just wanted it to be clear.

"I did that, and will continue to do that and whatever else you’ll let me do,” he couldn’t help a smirk, “because I care so much about you. Not because I want anything from you.”

The worry in Barry’s stomach was quickly chased out by butterflies as his heart pounded in his chest at the declaration Cisco just made. He couldn’t think of anything to say, just smiled like a dope and his cheeks burned beet red, yet again.

Their lips collided with equal ferocity and passion on both ends. They rolled around, tangled up in one another as they let their lips and hands say the words they were both too scared to utter in that moment. Cisco knew he loved Barry, deeply and more passionately than he had ever loved before. But the last thing he wanted was to freak him out less than a week after this, whatever this was, started.

In this back of his mind Barry knew he had fallen for Cisco. It wasn’t hard for Barry to fall for someone, but his heart always knew when it was shallow or real. Iris was a very real fall. An 80 story fall that squashed him like a bug at the end. Patty was real, but not as intense or meaningful in the grand scheme. But this, Cisco… wow. Barry’s head and heart were finally agreeing for once and he was plummeting out of the atmosphere for this dorky, hilarious, gorgeous friend of his. He wouldn’t say the words, not just yet. Verbalizing such an intense feeling was difficult and dangerous so early on. So he would stick to acting it out, in every moment, big or small.

When their lips parted, they panted and sat up, Cisco straddling Barry’s lap as their make-shift bed lay in ruins beneath them.

They laughed together until Barry thought of something, “So, if this isn’t a game,” he said, quirking up an eyebrow, “Then what _exactly_ is this?”

Cisco smirked, “I think you know, already, Bar.”

“Oh, do I?” he couldn’t help but ask, pressing their foreheads together and locking their eyes. “Maybe I just want to hear you say it,” the words came out as a deep rumble.

For some reason that sent a chill down Cisco’s spine as Barry’s gaze peered deeply into him.

“Well,” he said, pulling his head back and holding Barry’s face in both of his hands. “Let’s see,” he couldn’t help but play around, turning Barry’s head to and fro like he was inspecting him for a physical.

After a moment he nodded definitively and crossed his arms, “Yep, exactly what I thought. You have a horrible case of, I believe the term is, _boyfriends_?” he asked smiling, nervousness tickling his heart as he waited for Barry’s response.

Barry smiled back, “Oh, sounds serious. Tell me, Doc, is it bad?”

Cisco nodded as he giggled, leaning in closer to Barry, “The worst case I’ve seen in quite some time.”

Barry giggled, too, right before their lips met in a sweet, chaste kiss as they simply held each other close, feeling each other’s rapid heartbeats thump against one another’s chest.


	9. Just a Few More Hours, Please?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cisco's not ready to give up their vacation just yet and they milk their last few hours in the sand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I made a friggin' story board so I can motivate myself to finish this story and keeping it all organized, at least. I'm not going to make any promises on how frequently I'll update, but hopefully sooner than I have been! Thanks for your patience through this learning process of mine!

Cisco groaned as they forced themselves out of their tent, reluctant to begin what would be their final hours on the beach.

"Do we really have to go back  _today_ , Bar?"

Barry trailed behind him, playing with locks of Cisco's hair, happy as a clam as his new boyfriend drug his feet on the stone floor. 

"Yeeeeees," he groaned as well, although his cheer still peeked through his tone. "Singh is gonna be pissed if I just decide not to show up."

Cisco turned and gave him a sidelong stare, "like you've never done that before."

Barry just shrugged with a smirk and a guilty look on his face and turned to take apart their tent and bed. He knew if it remained erect a moment longer, then the pair would follow suit. 

Cisco just heaved a big, long "uuuuuugh." He folded his arms and planted his feet, making no moves to help pack up. "Can we just spend a few more hours on the sand and get some sun before going all the way back?" He pleaded, pulling out his best puppy dog look, even though Barry was the master of it. 

Barry turned and his heart melted the second his eyes hit Cisco's sad, pleading face. There was no way he could say no now. 

"Fine," he drawled out, not sounding or looking as peeved as he planned. "Just a few hours of sun and then we're on the road!" He pointed a finger in Cisco's face to emphasize his seriousness. 

Cisco leaned forward and sucked the finger into his mouth, hollowing out his cheeks and letting it go with a loud pop at the tip. He smiled tauntingly at Barry, "You won't regret it!" He then sprinted out of the cave towards the direction of the shore. 

Barry was slack jawed as he watched his boyfriend (he couldn't help but pause at the word every time he thought it) ran out.  _He is gonna be the death of me..._

~

The pair made it to the beach in record time, laid out some towels and sprawled out in the sun. 

They both donned only swimming trunks and sunglasses, Cisco lying on his stomach, Barry on his back, with their fingers laced between them in the warm sand. Barry let go of Cisco's hand a moment and tugged up the fabric on his trunks, exposing more pale skin to the sun. 

Cisco popped his head up and slid his sunglasses down, peering at Barry over the top of them. "Damn, my boyfriend is so sexy." He said hushed, with reverence in his voice. 

Barry blushed and poked him in the side, "Whatever,  _my_ boyfriend is even hotter." He turned his head and looked to Cisco, "Besides you don't even need to tan. Your skin is, like, perfect." He bit his bottom lip, imagining the feeling of it on his tongue. 

Cisco shrugged, "I'm not even gonna argue that, bro."

Barry scrunched his face. 

"What?" Cisco asked.

"Bro? It just sounds kind of silly now. I don't know."

"Hm. Guess I'll just have to come up with some awesome, adorable pet names for you now..." He pondered a moment. 

"I think we should just let the names come naturally, but 'bro' is a no-go, dude."

Cisco huffed a laugh, "But 'dude' is okay?"

Barry shrugged again, "I guess? What do you think?"

"Dude works when I'm laying over here," he then made to crawl and la on top of Barry, straddling him, "But not when I'm over here."

Barry giggled and reached both hands up to cup Cisco's ass, "So, not when I'm doing this?"

Cisco shook his head and leaned down to kiss Barry deeply and languidly, enjoying the minute sensations of their mouths gliding together. 

When they pulled away, Barry bit his lip and never moved his hands from Cisco's ass as the sorter man sat up, still straddling him. "My boyfriend kisses so well." He couldn't help a giggle from escaping at the mention of their newly established relationship. 

"Yeah, my boyfriend needs some practice," Cisco teased.

"Oh, whatever," Barry said, booping his nose and getting sand caught on it. 

Cisco chuckled, then noticed a seashell lying near Barry's head. He scooped it up and turned it over, admiring the colors and ripples in it's pattern. "I almost forgot to snag a few of these for Caitlyn. She would've been so pissed." He moved off of Barry and went to place that shell and a few other nice ones near by in his bag. 

Barry turned over on his stomach and watched Cisco stroll along around their little area. "Oh!" He popped up, "that reminds me, I told Iris and Wally I would take a bunch of pics and make them jealous."

Cisco grinned in response and pulled a camera out of his bag. "It's selfie time then, boo!"

Barry shook his head with a chuckle as they proceeded to document their beach setup.

Cisco took various selfies with Barry from their towels with the shore behind them, the sand underneath them, the tropical tree line behind them. Some were taken with their tongues sticking out, others with big wide smiles, a few with serious vogue looks, and a couple with their sunglasses down, peering at the camera with a "come hither" attitude.

When Barry thought they were done, Cisco wrung an arm around his neck and pulled him in for a big, smacking cheek kiss. He snapped a few and when he pulled away Barry looked to him. Cisco pulled him close with a hand behind his head and kissed him passionately, snapping a few pictures with the gorgeous stretching shoreline as their backdrop. He dropped the camera when he was done and cupped Barry's face, not yet done with the loving kiss he started. 

When they pulled away, they both chuckled a little and flipped through their gallery. Cisco hummed happily at their kissing pictures, "And these are all mine and not for sharing," he said happily, looking back up to Barry. 

Barry cocked his head to the side with a question, "Why can't we share them? We look cute together and I want everyone to know it." He finished by bumping Cisco's shoulder with his own and playing with one of his locks of hair again. 

Cisco pursed his lips to the side. "Well, we can show Caitlyn, and the Wells' and the West's, I just don't want to post them online or anything yet I guess." He finished with a non-convincing shrug. 

Barry's brow furrowed as he frowned, the hand playing with Cisco's hair dropped into his lap. "But, why not? ... I-I want to post things... Can we- can we tell people we're together?" He ended on the most important question. A weight tied around his heart and threatened to pull it down into the worry swimming heavily in his stomach. 

"Yeah, yeah... of course we can... I want to... It's just, I'm not ready to tell my family yet." He couldn't look Barry in the eye as he said it. "I just... It's just that the always find a way to screw things up and I hate talking to them about important things like this. I'm just not ready for that conversation yet."

Barry thought over Cisco's answer and understood his reasoning. He knew Cisco's family was never what anyone would call accepting or loving. And from the little he learned about his Uncle Gabriel, he knew there was a lot Cisco had yet to disclose to him. 

He lifted Cisco's face to meet his and only had love in his eyes, "That's perfectly okay... while I highly  _highly_ doubt that they could do anything to mess us up, I understand that you're not ready to tell them yet. And that's completely fine with me." He finished with a small, chaste kiss to Cisco's plump, velvet lips. 

Cisco smiled in response, "Thanks, Bar."

They got up and made their way back to their camp-site to finish packing.

It only took a few moments to pack, suit up, calibrate an exit route, and take a few final selfies in front of their private lagoon (their favorite being the one where Cisco jumped into Barry's arms and they're both looking lovingly into each other's eyes, bright with laughter, with their private waterfall rushing in the background.)

Cisco strapped on his backpack and hopped on Barry's back, strapping into his safety precautions. He held his helmet in his hand and Barry had his cowl pulled on as they turned to regard their little paradise one last time. They both gave a meaningful sigh and then turned to face one another. 

Barry looked behind him towards Cisco and they gave a commemorative final kiss as a salute to the lagoon. Cisco licked his lips after and decided while putting on his helmet that he loved kissing Barry with their supersuit on and they would have to explore that sooner rather than later. 

"Ready?" Barry asked through the comms once Cisco's helmet was back on. 

Cisco groaned again as he wrapped his arms around Barry and rested his head on the speedster's shoulders. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Barry leaned his head against Cisco's for a moment before taking off through the brush.

Cisco navigated them through the jungle until they reached some open plains and he rested back against Barry with soft music playing through their comms. 

He stifled a yawn as he asked, "So, how do we tell everyone, then?"

Barry hummed as he thought. "Maybe a sit down where we slideshow our pictures and mix some of the  _cuter_ ones of us together and just let them come to the conclusion?"

"And confuse the pants off of all of them? I'm so down," he chuckled, stifling another yawn.

Barry felt Cisco burrow into his back and get comfy, not even pretending he wasn't going to sleep. 

Barry smiled and silently whispered a 'sleep tight' to him as he continued to run them back their city, listening to the tiny cooing snores of his adorable boyfriend in his ear.


	10. "It didn't happen?" "Who's Mary?!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The actual ride back home goes smooth, it's readjusting to Central City life that turns out bumpy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I took off the number of chapters that this will be, because I'm realizing the chapters I had planned were suuuuper long. I still have the same storyboard, it's just going to be cut up differently. That is all!

Cisco was surprised at how long and how well he slept for. He remembers settling against Barry as they began their trip, saying a sweet goodbye to their tropical escape. He watched the flora change gradually as he stirred periodically from his slumber throughout the run. The palms, fruit trees, and large bright flowers faded and were replaced with cacti and expansive deserts. Later again he stirred and took note of the tall pines and thick evergreens as they zipped over and around hills on dirt roads or forging their own path through the forest. Occasionally a town would flash by and slowly but surely the tells of city life started creeping back to him, and with it came unexpected doubt and anxiety.

As dirt roads changed to asphalt and tall trees to buildings, fear bubbled up inside Cisco’s belly like a pot boiling over with nowhere to spill but out. He fidgeted badly against Barry, playing with his safety restraints, tapping absentmindedly on his phone.

He couldn’t help but worry about how things were going to work in Central. The fear of rejection from his loved ones, blood or not, terrified him to the core. The fact that the pair didn’t come together until they were thousands of miles from home only scared him even more as they quickly approached his apartment complex.

Cisco’s mind raced horribly as he saw dimly lit streets pass by as Barry dodged cars on his way to the techie’s home. The wind in his ears howled as his thoughts clouded his mind: _What if we don’t work well when metas pop up again? What if Joe doesn’t talk to me anymore? Will Harry be mad because I’m dating Barry? Whatever, fuck Harry. But what if the pressure of the job and working so closely, then coming home together is too much? Wait, is he going to be coming home with me? Uggghhhhh._

His thoughts hushed as the wind in his ears did the same. He looked around and saw that Barry had come to a stop in the alley next to his complex. Cisco shook his head, unhooked himself, and hopped down.

“You doing okay? I went a little faster this time than Caitlyn suggested.”

Cisco nodded, then his eyes squeezed shut as he grabbed his head and wobbled on his feet; the dizziness struck him like a train. Barry reached out and held up his arm, steadying him. “Just gotta get my sea legs back,” Cisco mumbled.

When the world stopped spinning he took a deep breath and looked around, taking in the sights and sounds. The asphalt ground was glistening from possible rain, the orange streetlights reflecting in the baby puddles. Cars whizzed past the entrance to the alley, honking and revving as everyone tried to get home on that Sunday evening. The air didn’t smell as sweet as it did that morning, and Cisco’s nose ruffled at the stark reminder that they were back in the city, complete with exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke.

He stepped back from Barry just a hair and folded his arms, pouting a little. “I wanna go back.”

Barry gave a weak chuckle; he was feeling the effects of the city on him, too. The sparkle from the bright, beachy, yellow sun was missing in his eyes. He reached out and grabbed a lock of Cisco’s hair, unable to resist its softness. “We can… someday.” He gave a small smile to the pouting cutie next to him.

The touch of Barry playing with his hair took the edge off of their abrupt arrival. He let out a slow, deep breath and reached up to hold Barry’s hand with one of his own. “Do you… um, do you have to go back to your place tonight?” He couldn’t help but ask, biting his bottom lip as he awaited a response with hopeful eyes.

Barry gave a playful smirk, “Cisco Ramon, are you asking me up for coffee?”

They both giggled and everything suddenly felt a little lighter.

~

A few moments later the pair was inside the apartment, throwing down their gear and sighing heavily from their long journey. Barry strode over to the fridge and poured himself a glass of water as he usually did.

It was Barry’s turn to internally freak out now, apparently. Everything new about their relationship felt so great and exciting while on the beach. But now the daunting task of fitting it into their home lives almost felt like trying to shove a square peg in a round hole.

The familiarity of Cisco’s apartment shocked him after he entered. All of his memories here were framed by the friendly boundaries of ‘bros’. Even if many of their movie nights dwindled into long, unintentional cuddle sessions, everything in the apartment screamed ‘ **Keep your distance**.’ So, he did, while his mind raced at Mach 2, worrying about what Cisco was thinking, then wondering if his bed was big enough for them both, then realizing how weird it was he had never seen it, then frantically worrying if there were enough pillows for them both and that if there wasn’t it might be a cosmic sign that this was all a bad idea and they went too far.

_Barry, shut up!_ He internally yelled at himself, shaking his head to clear his mind. It was then that he noticed his cowl was still on and he moved to slip it off.

“Wait!”

Barry looked up to see Cisco standing in the foyer still, fiddling with his backpack and apparently thinking too much on his end, as well. One of his hands was outstretched towards Barry and when their eyes met he blushed a deep pink and averted his eyes with a sheepish grin.

At first, confusion played on Barry’s face, then he realized what Cisco was getting at and it sent warmth to his belly. He set down his glass of water and left his cowl on, locking eyes with Cisco as he slowly snaked around the island of the kitchen and stalked up to the shorter man with a long, sure stride, invading his private space but not actually touching him.

He looked down to Cisco with a playful smile on, his eyes dancing behind the soft, red tripolymer mask. “Yes, Cisco?” he rumbled out.

Cisco visibly shuddered at the tone of voice and the closeness of Barry. He gulped and then looked up straight into Barry’s eyes. He spoke clearly with purpose and conviction, “Keep it on.”

Barry’s bright smile shone through a moment before Cisco reached up on his tippy toes to connect their lips, his hands grasping behind Barry’s neck to pull him closer.

They crashed together, pulling each other closer and closer as if they could form one body, their mouths gliding together, their tongues exploring deeply with a hunger. Barry reached down with gloved hands and pulled Cisco up, wrapping the techie’s legs around his hips, their lips never parting once.

He zipped them over to his couch and plopped Cisco down who gave a shocked, happy sound at the sudden change of scenery. Barry looked down at Cisco, loving every detail of the sight before him: his dark hair splayed out around him, his eyes half lidded from the passionate kiss, his lips plump, red, and glistening. He was determined to make newer, more intimate memories in the birth place of their bro-mance.

Before he could make his next move, Cisco’s eyes closed as his mouth stretched open into a huge yawn. He tried to pull Barry back on top of him, but another yawn came back full force. When he insisted they lock lips, yet again another yawn poked through.

Barry couldn’t help a giggle at how adorable it was that Cisco was trying so hard to hide his exhaustion. “Maybe we should just go to sleep.” He said with a small smile, giving Cisco a small kiss on the cheek.

“No-,” Cisco was cut off again by a yawn, he’s eyes slipping down further and further despite his best efforts.

Barry gave Cisco an eskimo kiss, smiling down at him, “Besides, I want you alert and rested when I… well you’ll see.” He couldn’t help a little smirk.

Cisco lazily popped an eyebrow up at him. “Yeah, you’re right, I guess.” He mumbled, wrapping his arms around Barry and settling deeper into the couch.

Barry hummed contentedly as he nestled into Cisco and pulled a blanket over the two of them. This would be the best cuddle session to date, hands down.

~

The next morning came quickly; cars honking and the sounds of people walking drifted up from the streets below. Cisco lay pinned under a still-sleeping Barry, hearing a cell phone alarm chirping from Barry’s bag across the room. Cisco just rolled his eyes with a small smile and lightly shook Barry’s shoulder with one hand while the other pulled the cowl back from his eyes.

They were so exhausted the night before they hadn’t even bothered to change: Barry still in his suit and Cisco still in his traveling clothes. He felt a horrid need to shower after their journey and almost demanded Barry get up.

Then the speedster stirred finally and gripped tighter to Cisco, not wanting to give up their collective warmth and comfort just yet. Cisco didn’t push any further, too enticed by the sleepy, bed head monster pinning him down. He lightly carded his fingers through Barry’s fluffy tufts of hair, sighing with content, reveling the quiet moment they shared now that Barry’s chirping alarm finally quit.

The moment didn’t last long, however. A breath passed in comfortable silence before Barry’s phone erupted again, this time emitting a blast of epic sounding brass instruments. Cisco knew the song immediately and couldn’t keep his explosive laughter from escaping.

“IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!”

“SHIT!” Barry sprung up and dashed across the room, silencing his phone and then speeding around the apartment.

Cisco saw nothing but a blur until Barry appeared on top of him again, this time in his work clothes with windswept hair and minty breath.

Barry took a second as he cupped Cisco’s face in both hands and just looked down at the disheveled man beneath him, a smile lighting up his face, crinkling his eyes, “You’re so beautiful in the morning.”

Cisco rolled his eyes and gave a cheeky grin. “I’m a treat, I know. But, you’re gonna be so late, dude.”

“Fine, _babe_.” He then kissed Cisco’s forehead, two cheeks, and nose with his superspeed then slowly pressed their lips together for a sweet moment. When he pulled away Cisco’s eyes were closed and he was licking his lips, caught in a daze.

“Wait,” he said as Barry made to get up, “Two questions. We’re telling everyone, tonight, right?”

Barry nodded with a nervous excitement, “Together.” He reached and laced their fingers together.

Cisco grinned and nodded back, his brow furrowing for the next question, “Do you think it’ll go well?”

Barry’s face was sincere as he nodded a yes and squeezed Cisco’s hand, “It’s going to go so great. In the end, everyone will be awesome and they’ll love us together just as much as they love each of us separately.” He leaned down and pecked Cisco’s big lips again, causing a smile to spread across Cisco’s face.

He finally got up and moseyed towards the door. He turned back with his hand on the knob as he heard Cisco say, “Follow up question… you think I’m a babe?” he asked tauntingly, wiggling his shoulders suggestively.

Barry out right laughed, “Well, with an ass like that…” he whistled the typical cat-call whistle as his eyes closed.

Cisco’s jaw dropped with excited shock as he chucked a pillow at the door, the breeze of Barry’s hasty exit swirling around his apartment.

~

Cisco was having a great morning. He stopped by jitters on his way to STAR Labs and treated himself to his favorite (triple espresso double mocha… Frozen with extra whip).

He was looking forward to the labs being empty on account of Caitlyn having a meeting at Mercury Labs. His itinerary was full from setting up their slideshow, to checking on his city monitoring tech, and starting work on his hoverboard schematics he’d been rolling around in his brain for a few days.

With his headphones in, bobbing his head along to some of their road trip music, he was startled by the text tone beeping in his ear.

**Bert:** Can’t wait to see you tonight. Everything’s going to be great; we’re amazing together see?

Along with changing his contact name in Cisco’s phone this morning, Barry had sent him a photo of them lying in sand, tongues poked out at the camera.

Cisco sent back a cross-eyed, crooked selfie with a few heart emojis. He hadn’t had enough coffee to come up with anything clever yet.

One word from Barry’s text rung in his brain, however, as he moseyed into his lab. _Together_. The idea thrilled him but also reminded him that he would desperately need to keep his mouth shut the _whole day_. He inwardly groaned at how difficult that was going to be.

And of course, as he walked into his lab, which was supposed to be empty thank-you-very-much, he shrieked and tossed his triple espresso double mocha frozen with extra whip all over his favorite Pokémon T-shirt. “Caitlyn! What are you doing here creeping up on me?”

 “Francisco! Why haven’t you been responding to my texts? I didn’t even know if you guys made it. Or if you came back. Or what even happened. Did the medicine I made for you work? What about your bag? Did you guys have enough supplies? Is Barry okay too? What about the bug bites? What happened?” Her tone went from chastising mother to curious at the drop of a hat, as it tended to do.

Cisco winced at the treatment and he really did feel bad about not responding but being there with Barry, it was a completely different world. The thought of text messages never crossed his mind.

“I’m sorry, Cait! I got carried away and forgot. Yes, the medicine worked perfectly. My bag mostly worked well. We had plenty supplies. Barry is fine. The bug bites were not fatal or damaging, obviously. And we had a good time.” He listed off his answers to her questions in a monotone voice.

Caitlyn continued to stare at him, trying to not tap her foot with impatience. When Cisco wasn’t saying anything more she finally asked, “soooo… your vibe?”

Cisco froze from trying to clean up his chocolatey coffee mess and wracked his brain for how to respond. _Together_. It kept running through his brain. He didn’t want to ruin the surprise and he knew Caitlyn wouldn’t be happy with a vague answer. Unless…

“It didn’t happen.” He said flatly, not looking up and continuing to clean his mess.

Caitlyn was shocked. She furrowed her brow in confusion. She had been so sure that they were finally going to pull the trigger on this thing. Concern dripped from her voice, “Well, it just didn’t happen at all? Or did it happen differently?”

Cisco heaved an exasperated sigh and threw soaked paper towels into the garbage, standing up and folding his arms, averting his gaze elsewhere.

“It just didn’t happen. Not like what I thought I saw. Look, I just, I don’t want to talk about it right now.” He finally looked up at her and empathy was written all over her face. The sight twisted his heart, but he really really wanted to tell everyone together like they said they would. “Tonight we were thinking of sharing pictures with everyone over pizza. So just be in the conference room for dinner.” He turned abruptly to go wash the stickiness off in the bathroom and to leave this conversation. He hated lying to Caitlyn, but it was for a good reason. Right?

~

Stacks of paper and boxes of bagged up evidence loomed in heaps around Barry as he sat at his desk, tapping a pen on the report he was currently ignoring.

Staring off into space with a small smile on, he couldn’t get Cisco out of his head. The taste of him. The sights and smells of him. All the memories of their escape floated through his mind’s eye, distracting him from accomplishing anything at work.

He was startled out of his daze by the lab door sliding open and Iris bursting in with two armfuls of takeout boxes.

“Welcome home!” She cheered from somewhere behind the mountain of plastic bags and Styrofoam.

Barry zipped over and took the food, clearing a spot for them to eat and freeing up her hands, “You didn’t have to do this!” he said, giving her a warm hug.

She shrugged and waved him off. “So how was the trip?” He could see the excitement and jealousy dancing in her eyes.

“Great! We had a great time. Lots of sand and sun. I think I got a tan,” he said, pulling the collar of his shirt back and looking down at his pale chest.

Iris just laughed in response. “Sorry, Bar, but you will always be white as snow.”

Barry shrugged and started digging into their food. “Oh, before I forget,” he said behind a mouthful of sticky rice, “we wanna show off our pictures and make everyone jealous. So come to the labs tonight, there’ll be pizza!”

“Cool! I’ll tell Dad and Wally.” Iris’ phone chimed just then. She picked it up and regarded the message, giving a boisterous laugh at whatever it was.

“So, who’s thaaaaaat?” Barry couldn’t help but ask.

Iris gave him a sidelong glance. “A friend from work. He’s really nice, very funny, super smart, and also very into boys.” The last thing she said with a tilt of the head towards Barry, her eyes sparkling with trouble. “Barryyyyyyy!” She sing-songed at him.

Barry lifted an eyebrow in confusion then processed what she said. “Nooooo, no no no. Don’t start setting me up with people. Seriously!” She was ignoring him and texting the guy anyway. “No, seriously, Iris! I don’t want to date right now and it’s just such a hassle with Flash stuff.”

“Oh whatever. There’s not much going on and it’s never a good time anyway. You need to start taking time to be Barry and not just the Flash, you know.” She looked to him with sincerity and placed a hand on his arm with a light squeeze.

Iris made such good points, she really did. But she had no idea why Barry was really saying no. “I know, just not right now.” She would understand soon enough.

He was just starting to congratulate himself on handling the whole secret thing surprisingly well, when his phone chimed near him.

He had it in his hands and open before the text tone even stopped, lopsided grin plastered on his face.

**Mary Pops:** I’m alert and rested. You never told me what came next? Is it me? ;)

Barry giggled to himself, loving how flirty his boyfriend was; the added hilarity of Cisco’s new contact name almost made him snort.

A gasp sounded in his ear, “ohhhh! Who’s Mary?!”

_Shit._ Barry was so engulfed in the message he didn’t notice Iris hovering over his shoulder.

“N-no one?” He mentally face palmed, hard.

Iris’ eyebrow popped up and she gave him a challenging look that clearly showed she did not believe him. “Spill, Allen.”

“There’s no one! It’s just… Well… Nothing… I’m just… I can’t talk about it… I mean I will… Just not right now… It’s a whole thing!” He gesticulated horrifically, his hands reaching for the words he couldn’t find.

Iris continued staring him down, hoping he would buckle soon.

Thankfully, Captain Singh barged in at the perfect moment, “Allen! There was a fire on 5th and Johnson. Seems to be arson; I need you down there with your kit and pick up the pace!” It had to be the only time he was thankful for Singh’s intrusions in his lab.

Barry just turned to Iris and shrugged, “see you tonight!” He chimed happily as he gathered his supplies and shoved a few more fistfuls of food into his mouth.

She glared at him as he made his way out the door. “This is far from over, Barry.” She threatened.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Barry teased, before disappearing behind the corner and away from her penetrating glare.

~

“Just a little more… A little! These are highly sensitive explosives we’re working with, Ramon!”

“I’m aware, Harry! Careful not to set them off with your super-intimidating whisper-scream.”

“You’re about to blow this entire lab to pieces and you know what the worst part about that is?” At this point Harry snatched the mini screwdriver from Cisco’s hand, scowling and attending to it himself.

“Oh, pray tell,” Cisco demanded, sitting back and folding his arms grumpily. Yeah, he did not miss this.

“You have the unique ability to see in the future, yet you’d still take us down the path of most destruction.”

Cisco rolled his eyes dramatically and flopped his arms to his sides. “You’re insufferable.” He laid his head on the back of his chair and pulled his watch in front of his face.

5:02. Barry should be done by now, right? Cisco was getting antsy about the big reveal. Telling everyone at once was like ripping off a Band-Aid, a very big, painful Band-Aid. He desperately needed to see Barry and calm his nerves.

And like an answer to his prayers, a gust of wind whipped past him; Harry swore as he backed away from the highly sensitive material.

“Allen, could you keep the whooshing to a minimum in the labs?” Harry went back to his work, but not before glancing up at the speedster to deliver a powerful scowl.

Barry was not looking back at him, though. All of his attention was trained on Cisco as if Harry wasn’t even there. Cisco stared back, both of them frozen with dopey smiles on. The pair was hesitant to move any closer given they had company, but their need for contact was itching at their very core.

“Ahem, Ramon! Allen! If you’re going to gawk at one another, please take it elsewhere. The silence is deafening.” Harry turned to work back on his device.

The pair blushed, Barry sheepishly, but Cisco was emboldened. He whipped around to Harry, “We’re not _gawking_.”

Harry waved him off, “Fine. _Fawning_. Whatever you want to call it.”

Two pairs of jaws dropped. “No! Not fawning! What’re you talking about Harry?” Barry stammered unconvincingly.

Harry gave an exasperated sigh, “While everyone here thinks I’m socially inept, I am quite perceptive. On top of that, the pair of you has the worst poker faces I’ve ever encountered.” He pushed back from his work and stood, grabbing his sweater off the back of his chair.

Cisco and Barry exchanged looks between the two of them. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Cisco said defiantly, crossing his arms again.

Harry was over it by then. He gave a short, low growl, “I don’t _care_ what’s going on between you two. Just don’t let it interfere with our work!” He gave Barry a look, then Cisco a sterner one before turning for the door. He also pointedly knocked over a cup of pens on his way out.

“Ever the diva!” Cisco shouted to the door from his swivel chair.

He felt himself being drawn back into a corner of his lab, behind a shelf or two of random tech. Barry turned him around and straddled him. He ran both hands up Cisco’s neck into his hair. Their lips met sweetly, cherishing the soft texture and the warmth. They let out a collective sigh against one another, their nerves already calming.

Barry pulled back from their kiss and booped Cisco’s nose with his own. Then he rested his head on Cisco’s shoulder, wrapping as much of himself around the techie as he could.

Cisco held Barry tightly, eyes closing as he rested his head on Barry’s enjoying the simplicity of the moment.

“Are we really that obvious?” Barry asked quietly, twisting a lock of Cisco’s hair in his fingers, which was easily becoming his favorite pastime.

Cisco shrugged. “If we are, that can’t be a bad thing.” You could hear the smile in his tone, as he scratched lazily up and down Barry’s back.

Barry hummed to agree. “But won’t everyone else figure it out before we actually tell them?”

“I doubt it. Wally and Joe won’t suspect it. Jesse might be she probably won’t say anything. She has way more tact than her dad.”

“Yeah. And Iris thinks I’m seeing some girl.” Barry huffed out.

A honking laugh exploded from Cisco, causing Barry to sit up so they could look at each other again. “It was the contact name, huh?” Cisco asked knowingly.

Barry’s sheepish blush came back. “It worked out though! She was trying to set me up with some guy! She wouldn’t listen to me and the confusion kind of helped?” He held his hands up in a shrug.

Cisco chuckled and wrapped an arm around Barry’s waist, pulling him in for a kiss. Barry’s hands came up to cup Cisco’s face; his tongue swiped across his plump bottom lip and begged entrance. Cisco obliged and deepened the kiss, their tongues sliding together slowly as their lips caressed one another. They stayed like this for a long moment, enjoying the taste, warmth, and closeness of one another.

Barry’s hands were the first to travel. They left Cisco’s face and trailed down the front of his T-shirt. He delicately slipped his fingers underneath the bottom hem of his shirt and ran them up and down Cisco’s smooth chest, grabbing at his newly forming chest muscles and only lightly brushing his nipples.

Cisco’s lips parted away from Barry’s as a shuddered breath escaped. Barry’s brow hiked up with curiosity and he continued to kiss the shorter man as he lightly brushed his fingers across an erect nipple.

Tiny whimpers sounded against Barry’s mouth as he lightly teased the tip of Cisco’s nipple; then he grabbed it with his thumb and index finger, and slowly rolled it around, pinching and teasing. He was rewarded with a little moan as Cisco threw his head back in pleasure.

Barry’s mouth lunged forward and latched onto Cisco’s throat, sucking on the soft skin of his collarbone as his fingers continued to unravel the dark haired man beneath him.

Cisco continued to whimper and moan under his breath, trying to keep his sounds to a minimum. He turned his head into Barry’s and whispered in his ear, “I’m awake and rested, remember. What comes next?” He finished by nipping hotly at Barry’s ear.

Barry gave a full body buzz at the sultry tone in his ear and the unexpected bite.

He kissed up the line of Cisco’s neck, nipping and sucking under his ear, “Well, I noticed you seemed to like dirty talk?” He punctuated his question with another twist of Cisco’s previously unattended nipple.

A deep, guttural groan erupted from Cisco, his length hard and straining against his pants. “Oh, Barry,” was all he could utter.

Barry chuckled a bit, kissing Cisco on the lips again, deeply and passionately. He then returned to his ear to whisper, “I have been thinking about the way you taste all day. It’s been driving me crazy.” A whimper in his ear.

He twisted Cisco’s nipple again. “All I wanted to do all day was rush you home, get you laid out on the bed and lick every. Last. Inch. Of you.” A whiny moan.

“Tonight, I’m going to take you apart with only my tongue.” He licked up the column of Cisco’s neck and bit his ear again. Another, louder moan.

He began to buzz his fingers on Cisco’s nipple, “I bet your cock tastes just as sweet as you do.” Cisco tried to stifle his moan but only succeeded in muffling it to a grunt.

Barry continued buzzing on Cisco’s nipple, then began to rock against Cisco’s hard length as well as he could in their given position. “Tonight, I want to feel your cock on the back of my throat. And I’m not going to give it up until I get a mouthful of—“

“Oh! Oh!” Cisco’s eyes closed as he bucked his hips up, wanting more of everything Barry was saying and doing.

“Barry Allen!” They were cut off by Caitlyn’s voice echoing through the halls as she sought him out.

“Damnit!” Barry swore against Cisco’s shoulder.

They remained quiet as Caitlyn stalked by, not seeing them hidden behind a few walls of tech. When she was gone they both let out a breath.

Cisco looked suggestively at Barry, “Now where did that come from, Bar? I didn’t know you could get kinky.” He waggled his eyebrows at him; the passionate heat between them had dissolved into comfortable warmth after that close call with Caitlyn.

Barry shrugged, “You bring out the best in me, what can I say?” His smile could light up a thousand cities.

“Barry! Allen! I know you’re in this lab somewhere! You need a checkup!” Caitlyn’s voice came back around.

They both winced at the severity in her tone. “Guess I better go see what’s up.” Barry said, moving to get off of Cisco.

Cisco reached out and grabbed one of Barry’s hands. “Don’t let her trick you into talking about anything! Also, she may be very upset with you. Like really upset.” Cisco winced at delivering the news.

“Wha-why? I didn’t do anything!”

“Exactly. She’s made we didn’t text her. But also she thinks you snubbed me.” Cisco gave a weak smile.

“Snubbed? Why would she think that?” Barry was entirely confused.

“TL;DR, I had a vibe we got together. She asked about it when I got back. I said it didn’t happen to avoid ruining the surprise and now she probably thinks you turned me down.” He squeezed Barry’s hand again at the sound of Caitlyn’s heels clacking on the metal floors of the hallway. “I’ll always remember you.” They both looked to the door, toward Barry’s demise.

Barry heaved a big sigh and then trudged forward. “Tonight can’t come fast enough.” He then turned back towards Cisco, “I also want to hear more about these vibes, mister.” He snatched a kiss and then sped out the door to an impatient, fuming Caitlyn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to add the pictures scene in this chapter, but I decided to add some things to it and then this got so long. The next one, I promise! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Kudos and comments always appreciated, and I also got a tumblr but I'm not quite sure how it works? Follow me and teach me the ways? redbowbuddha.tumblr.com


	11. The Best Laid Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Cisco finally pull the trigger and plan to tell everyone about their new relationship. As things tend to go in Central, their plans change drastically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -insert spiel about how long it's been since i've updated last-
> 
> Enjoy!

8:37 pm.

_Damnit Barry. What’s taking so long?_

Cisco’s shoes squeaked on the floor in front of the elevators as he paced, worrying about the room of people they were about to face.

A moment later the air around him whooshed; the smell of pizza filled his nose. Barry stood before him with a huge stack of boxes and a winning smile on his face. “How’s it going so far?”

Cisco shook his head and gesticulated emphatically as they moseyed down the hallway towards everyone else.

“Well, Caitlyn is giving me the stink eye for keeping mum. Iris keeps asking if anyone knows a girl named Mary. Harry is pouting; to be honest I’m surprised he’s even there at all. Jesse keeps giving me these weird knowing looks; I guess her dad loves gossip more than we thought. And Joe and Wally are oblivious.” He finished his monologue by flopping his arms down by his side with a groaning sigh.

Barry just continued to smile down at him, overly confident as he tended to be. He shifted the weight of the boxes to free one hand, which he used to wrap behind Cisco’s neck and pull his forehead closer for a kiss. Cisco sighed into Barry’s touch. He pulled away and looked up at Barry with a pout, “Can we just go binge Firefly and cuddle instead?”

“After,” Barry promised, as he cupped Cisco’s worried face.

They eventually made their way to the room of waiting people as Cisco drug his feet purposefully.

Everyone cheered because: food. Cisco went to his tablet and grabbed a seat in the front of the room to the side of the projected screen. Barry sat in the seat next to him and their legs tangled in one another under the table. Everyone was seated around the table, except Harry who leaned against the doorframe as if he was ready to leave, yet still managed to snag some free pizza.

Everyone was chatting idly as Cisco brought up the album. When it was time, Barry stood formally and cleared his throat. “Now, if I could get your attention, please. I would like to thank you all for attending,” he said with a short bow, earning himself a few giggles. “Now, let’s commence the ‘Annual Jealousy Hour’!” Everyone whooped and clapped with laughter.

Cisco held up a finger in pause with disbelief on his face, “To clarify, I had _nothing_ to do with the naming.” He poked Barry’s side as the speedster sat back down.

Everyone watched intently, laughing as Cisco and Barry shared stories of their trip. They all ooed and ahed at the appropriate times.

When they saw how the pair camped out in the wild, Joe and Iris couldn’t believe it. “For real, Barry? Where’s the hotel, come on!” Iris teased.

“Yeah! You wouldn’t even camp in the backyard when you guys were little! You better not have used my credit card on some swanky resort!” Joe waggled a finger at Barry jokingly.

“Whatever! We really did stay out there! Anyway, Iris was the one who never wanted to sleep outside. She’s scared of bugs even though she wouldn’t admit it.” Barry laughed as Iris stuck her tongue out at him. “We were 100% unplugged, right?” He looked to Cisco who just nodded with a big smile on his face. He loved watching the West’s and Barry go back and forth.

“About that… Cisco, how did you go so long without wifi?” Wally teased as Joe chuckled happily.

“Ha, ha, very funny lil’ West,” he rolled his eyes, “although… it wasn’t hard to tap into a satellite without wifi,” he conceded, which earned him a thrown pepper to the face from Wally.

When they got to La Mosca everyone listened intently, curious at the unexpected meta encounter.

“Did you get any pictures of her? What kind of formation did the bugs fly in? Did you ever see her use other bugs?” Jesse couldn’t keep the questions from pouring out.

Caitlyn couldn’t help asking a barrage either, “What was her name? I knew people who were studying something similar. How did she communicate with the bugs, telepathically or using some kind of hormone or pheromone?”

Barry and Cisco tried to help answer as much as they could, but in reality they didn’t get much information out of the girl. As they tried to lightly step around their high-stress encounters with the metahuman, Caitlyn tried to read between the lines of the story as she kept a trained, speculative eye on the pair.

Through all the laughter and storytelling, Cisco started feeling better about the whole thing. These guys were like his family. Well, better than his family. He had nothing to worry about. He looked down at the next photo in the queue and stiffened a little.

Barry looked down and saw it, too. His hand, hidden under the table, rested on Cisco’s knee as he gave him a reassuring squeeze. Cisco let out a breath as he threw the picture up on the main display.

The photo was one from the beach: the shoreline behind them and the sun shining down brightly. Cisco had his arm around a squinty-eyed smiling Barry as he placed a smacking kiss to the speedster’s cheek. 

Everyone laughed and the sound made Cisco and Barry nervous. Joe was the first to speak through his laughter, “Dang, Cisco. One too many piña coladas?!” Everyone, including the worried couple, had to laugh at that.

Caitlyn’s analyzing glare intensified. Jesse just held her hand over her mouth as she looked between the two of them with a twinkle in her eye. Joe and Wally laughed together while Harry just rolled his eyes. Iris, however, took note. Her head tilted to the side ever so slightly as she glanced between the picture and the pair sitting across from her. She could see… something there, but just couldn’t put her finger on it.

Cisco looked down at the next picture and panicked. It was their favorite. The last one they took while kissing sweetly in front of the waterfall. Barry saw it too and squeezed Cisco’s knee a little tighter for reassurance. The small smile he gave Cisco was enough to encourage him to push the button for all to see.

He winced as he moved to press the button, his finger hovering over the glass of his tablet for a fraction of a second. Barry’s hand reached over and guided Cisco’s down to push the button. Just as his skin made contact, all the screens around them turned red as a large ‘ALERT’ flashed on the tablet and the labs filled with a siren sound.

Everyone sprang up and into action, scrambling for the cortex as Cisco checked what info he could from the tablet.

“Metahuman alert?” Barry asked from the cortex, already in his suit when the team arrived.

Cisco came sliding in with his tablet in hand before switching to the computers. “No, a huge fire. At the paper factory outside of town.”

Barry nodded and flipped up his cowl, smiling to Cisco as he asked, “get me there?”

Cisco cracked his fingers dramatically and then shook one hand out because ouch he should never do that again. He nodded at Barry with a little smile, “don’t I always?”

Barry zipped out of there as Cisco began typing frantically, pulling up news feeds of the fire and digging up a building layout to help Barry navigate through the hallways.

Caitlyn took her station next to him as she tracked Barry’s vitals and prepared to talk him through any emergency medical care.

Iris and Joe watched from the side with bated breath as the team got into gear.

Harry, however, loomed over Cisco’s shoulder, watching his every move. Needless to say, he was adamant on proving that their relationship would turn out damaging to the team. He always needed to be right.

“Cisco, give him directions, he’s heading the wrong way!” He murmured through gritted teeth over Cisco’s shoulder.

Cisco pulled up Barry’s tracker and then called into the comms, “Hard left, Bar. Take 539 until Aliceville then head south a few miles. You won’t miss it. It’s the giant building complex on fire.”

Barry, despite the danger and severity of the situation, couldn’t help a chuckle.

As he corrected his course, Cisco went back to pulling up the necessary information.

Caitlyn was the next to speak up, “Barry, you’re not dealing with a normal fire here. Paper factories have huge stores of chemicals and bleaching agents. If you try to snuff it out you’ll likely send more chemicals out into the air to fuel it. Focus on getting as many people out. We’ll figure out how to put it out in the meantime.”

“G-got it-- --lyn.” Barry’s comms started shorting out.

“Shit!” Cisco exclaimed. “He’s getting too far for the comms to reach that deep in the woods.”

“Fix it, Ramon. You’ve done this a million times.” Harry scolded from behind him.

“Working on it, Harry,” Cisco said with a scowl as he typed furiously.

Barry’s marker on their map closed in on the fire. “Where--- go---, Cis--?”

“Barry?!” Cisco nearly shouted into the microphone. “The back! Go in through the back!” He was frantically trying to boost their signal but the looming, judging presence of Harry was making him doubt himself and his fingers wouldn’t listen to his brain as he tried to fix the issue as quickly as possible.

“Ramon! You should have this fixed by now!” Harry said, oh-so-helpfully.

Cisco gritted his teeth as he worked on the problem at hand, trying to recalibrate their satellites as quickly as possible. He saw Barry’s marker on their map go into the building and heard static and coughing through the comms as Barry zipped in and out, getting slower and slower with every re-entry to the inferno.

“Ramon!” Harry scolded, about to move him out of the way and take care of it himself.

Cisco was _pissed_. The only reason he wasn’t on the ball was due to Harry’s incessant need to mess with him and desire to be right. He shot up and whipped around to face Harry, puffing out his chest with a threat. “Step _off_ , Harry! Barry’s in trouble and you’re just standing here fucking with me! Go be an ass somewhere else!” His voice had an edge to it; it almost cracked with emotion. Harry could tell it was due to his worry, anyone else would have thought it was simply his patience running thin.

Caitlyn, Iris, and Joe all had wide eyes at the exchange. Usually Cisco kept a cool head and Harry wasn’t always up in his business, either. Joe tried to hide a look of confusion at Harry’s excessive berating towards Cisco. Iris continued to regard Cisco with a cocked head as she couldn’t get that picture from before out of her head. And Caitlyn just turned back to her computer, focused on the task at hand.

Cisco turned back to the comms and tried to fix them. Finally, he could hear the labored breathing of Barry as he continued to zip in and out of the building. “Barry, I’m back. How’s it looking?”

It took a few seconds for Barry to catch his breath enough to speak, “Not great. There’re still a lot of people inside. What should I do?”

Cisco pulled up his building map again, “go in through the back, there’s less smoke there for some reason. I can’t run a heat scan for people, cause, fire. So, you’ll have to check every room.”

Barry made an affirmative sound as he zipped around the building complex and began searching the rooms in the back, pulling people out two and three at a time and depositing them safely in the nearby woods.

Once he was convinced he had everyone out, he ran back in to survey the origin of the fire. “Cait? What am I looking for here?”

“Based on my research, paper plants only use a certain set of chemicals. The biggest worry you have is any large stores of hydrogen peroxide. Look for the bleaching or storage areas and **be careful**. Any amount will cause a huge explosion, especially given that there’s already a fire.” Caitlyn continued to research the chemicals. The last thing they needed was a surprise.

“Barry, storage is on the lower level, northwest corner of the building.” Cisco chimed in, combing the building map for any hidden areas. The hair on his arms stood on edge as he heard the roaring fire in the background of the comms.

“On it,” everyone watched his tracker zip around the building. They could hear a grunt or two as he slowed down, coughing as he made his way out. They heard a sloshing thud as Barry let out a big breath. “Cait, I found like 10 barrels of hydrogen peroxide, but I can’t get them all out in time. How do I put this out?”

“Okay, look around for any yellow fire extinguishers. Those are for chemical fires. That’s your best bet.” She checked his vitals again, “Barry, are you doing okay? Your oxygen levels are getting very low. Be careful with the smoke, you could smother yourself with exertion.”

Cisco’s hands balled up in fists as his jaw clenched. He had heard the exhaustion in Barry’s voice and breathing since he started fighting the fire. At first, he put the worry to the side, but now with confirmation of the dire situation from Caitlyn, he was almost frozen with nervousness. There wasn’t much more he could do but sit back and wait for it all to be over.

Barry’s coughing came through again on the other side of the comms, “I’m fine,” he took a few wheezing breaths. “I think I found… some extinguishers. I’m going… to fight this thing.”

“Barry, don’t!” Cisco said under his breath. He loved how heroic he could be, but heroic was just a fancy synonym for stupid at times like these.

Everyone watched nervously as Barry entered the building again and they listened as the sounds of the extinguisher battled with the roaring flames. Barry ran backwards again to find another one, wheezing and coughing all the way. He came back to the storage area, hoping to find something to use, when: “Oh, shit!”

A huge blast sounded in the comms and the newsreel playing showed footage of a giant explosion erupting from the buildings. Barry’s comms went dead and then his tracker. Silence filled the room for a brief moment.

Cisco jumped to his feet and frantically tried to reconnect to Barry from his computer. “Barry! Barry!” He practically beat his keyboard as he realized nothing he could do would help. “Fucking answer me, Barry! Shit, shit, shit!”

Iris had a hand over her mouth and wet eyes as she watched the news footage of the building. Joe put both hands on her shoulders as he stood, dumbfounded and slack jawed. Harry watched with a somber face as Cisco slunk to his knees with two hands over his mouth, tears streaming down his face quietly as his gaze was a million miles away. Caitlyn sat stunned watching the footage, then met Cisco on her knees and took him into her arms comfortingly, a few tears running down her cheeks, as well.

No one said a word as minutes passed by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments always appreciated! tumblr > @redbowbuddha 
> 
> There's most likely another chapter coming tonight as well. Just got to tweak some things.


	12. Hero is a Fancy Word for Idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our speedster returns looking a little worse-for-wear and then the cat moseys out of the bag, finally.

Barry blinked his eyes open, wincing immediately from the aches all over his body. His eyes watered from the black smoke all around him, his body ached from being blown across the building from the explosion.

The explosion… right! He had gone for another extinguisher and he noticed a stream of flames licking at the remaining barrels of hydrogen peroxide. It was too fast even for him as he saw the barrels burst open and the flames were suddenly all around him, blowing him back through walls.

He tried to sit up and noticed his right arm had broken. He winced as he got to his feet, but stayed at a crouch. He tried to speed around and continue to fight the fire, but a moment after using his speedforce, coughs wracked his body and he wheezed uncontrollably as he fell to the ground again, hugging his broken arm and trying desperately to get the oxygen to his lungs.

He blinked his eyes through the smoke and took a long, careful stride out of the nearest exit. Once he was outside, he collapsed and gulped in as much air as he could.

A nearby EMT witnessed him emerging from the wreckage and she froze in shock at the sight. It’s not every day you see a superhero knocked out. Luckily, she kicked into her own hero-mode and ran over with an oxygen mask and a tank.

Barry’s eyes blinked open again at the feeling of someone pressing a plastic mask to his face. When he realized what it was, he grabbed at the mask and took huge, deep breaths. The EMT stared wide-eyed as he finished off a whole tank in less than two minutes. When it was empty, he handed her back the mask and grunted as he got back on his feet.

He made to go back into the fire and keep fighting the flames, until he felt her hand wrap around his wrist. “Don’t!” She exclaimed, a look of shock on her face at her own outburst, but then her face grew serious again. “There’s a hazmat team already here working on it. You’ve already done your part and everyone is out safely with minor injuries. Thank you for that. But you’re done here. Go back to… wherever you go and get fixed up. You’re still in pretty bad shape.”

Barry opened his mouth to protest, but then thought about what she said. He still couldn’t take a full breath without the help of the oxygen tank and wanted so badly to cough a lung out. His arm throbbed and would need to be set soon or else Caitlyn would have to break it again. He nodded to the woman, “Thank you. You saved my life today.”

The EMT beamed at that. She almost jumped for joy at the idea of saving a superhero. She nodded back and then turned to run to any other patients.

Barry touched his comms on his ear, “Cisco? Caitlyn?” He coughed and wheezed again, buckling over with his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He didn’t hear any response from either of them, so he turned and high tailed it back to the labs. He wanted to stop every step of the way to try and catch his breath, but he couldn’t stay away for too long. There’s no telling what his family, his friends were thinking… what Cisco was thinking right now.

Barry was slowed down immensely from his injuries, but minutes later he finally made it back to the labs, bursting into the cortex and tumbling down to the ground near Cisco and Caitlyn, wheezing and coughing uncontrollably.

“Barry!” Cisco exclaimed, reaching to pull him into his lap and hold him close. When he pulled away from the embrace, he didn’t think twice as he cupped Barry’s soot-stained face with his hand and pressed a hard, loving kiss to his lips.

Cisco could smell the smoke on him and Barry could feel Cisco’s tears wet his own cheeks. The kiss didn’t last long as Barry’s coughing interrupted the embrace. They pulled away and Barry smiled up at Cisco before his eyes slipped closed and his vision went black.

Cisco looked up to Caitlyn with worry all over his face. She stood there, stunned at the scene that just unfolded. “Cait! Do something!”

“Right!” She shot to her feet and ran to her medic room, bringing back an oxygen tank and a mask as well as other gear to assess his injuries before moving him.

Cisco helped with whatever instructions she gave, then looked up to the other people in the room.

Joe stood there with wide eyes, as did Iris. The rollercoaster of the past 30 minutes, followed by the display of affection they just witnessed was enough to shut them up for days. Harry just wiped a hand over his face, visibly relieved that everyone was okay, even though he would never say it. He walked away to get some gallons of water that he knew Barry would need when he came to.

Cisco tried to move Barry as Caitlyn continued checking him over. He looked up at Joe expectantly, “Some help?”

Joe shook his head out of his daze and moved to help Cisco, “You… and… what?” he asked as he grabbed Barry’s feet.

Cisco grunted as they lifted the speedster up off the ground, not taking his eyes off of Barry’s face. “Weirder things have happened, Joe.”

They placed Barry on the hospital bed and stepped away as Caitlyn flitted around him, checking him over.

Cisco stood impatiently, tapping his foot, fingers white knuckled as he hugged himself tightly, not taking his eyes off of Barry, a deep frown on as he fought the urge to be by his side. Joe stood next to him, looking between the two of them as the gears in his head turned to try and figure out what just happened.

Iris tip toed over, looking over at Barry with concern, then scooting up close to Cisco, placing a hand on his arm with worry in her eyes. “Are you okay?” She asked.

 Cisco looked to her with tears still in his eyes, his face weary from all the worrying. Iris didn’t need any confirmation on their relationship. She had the emotional intelligence to read between the lines and all she worried about now was the friend standing before her, looking like he was about to fall to pieces. Cisco didn’t know how to answer her question, he just leaned into her touch and she embraced him, tucking his head down and holding him close with the same tender affection she would give Barry or any of her closest loved ones.

Joe came up and placed a loving hand on Cisco’s back, rubbing his shoulders with fatherly affection. Just then, Harry came back with water and saw the embrace. To his credit, his eyes didn’t roll that particular time. He simply poured a glass of water and placed it on the table by Cisco, then walked out quietly.

Cisco was overwhelmed by his emotions. The nervousness from earlier in the day, followed by the crazy fire and the dread he felt when they lost track of Barry for nearly twenty minutes. Then all of a sudden his fluffy-haired boyfriend runs back into his life, then collapses in front of him. But the icing on the cake was that through all of this, he never expected the care he was currently getting from Iris and Joe.

Sure, they weren’t going to shun him like his own family might. They wouldn’t have made a big deal about it at all. And they didn’t. They simply comforted Cisco like family, while their own pretty-much son and brother lay unconscious on a hospital bed. He felt closer to them now than he ever had before, yet the affection wasn’t anything new. It only reminded him of how lucky he was to have such unbelievably wonderful people in his life.

Cisco took a few deep, shuddering breaths to try and collect himself. He pulled away from Iris’ embrace and gave her a weak smile. He looked up to Joe and nodded, patting and squeezing him on the shoulder. The trio stood there, saying more with their actions than their words could ever convey.

Caitlyn finally finished checking Barry over and walked over to them, “He looks fine. The few minor burns he had are already healing, his oxygen levels are normalizing and there doesn’t seem to be any lasting damage on his lungs. His arm is broken, but already healing. I’ll have to re-break it later; I don’t want to disturb him now.” She looked to Cisco and passed him the glass of water Harry had left. “You should stay with him. He’ll probably sleep for another hour or so, but when he wakes up, he should be okay.” She placed an arm around his shoulder and guided him to the chair by the bed.

Caitlyn gave him a reassuring look and a small kiss on the side of his head before turning to join Iris and Joe as they quietly left and went back to their forgotten dinner.

When Cisco sat down his eyes locked on Barry, placing the water on the bedside table and grabbing his hand instead. He turned it over, tracing the swirls of his fingertips and the lines of his palm. He pressed a kiss to each fingertip and then pressed the back of Barry’s hand to his forehead as he sighed heavily. Eventually, he laid his head down on the bedside, holding Barry’s hand as he, too, slipped off into sleep.

~

An hour or so later, Barry’s eyes peeled open and he took in a slow, deep breath. He looked around the hospital room and saw he was alone, except for an adorable, snoring Cisco by his side. He moved his hand to comb through his hair gently, smiling at his sleeping face.

Cisco stirred from the touch, then his eyes shot open and he sprang up. “Barry! Oh thank god!” He got to his feet and grabbed Barry’s face, kissing him all over.

Barry giggled from the affections and pulled Cisco closer, onto the bed straddling him. He met Cisco’s lips with his own and they kissed deeply and passionately, holding each other close, letting their worry melt away with each moment of the embrace.

When the kiss was over, Cisco rested his forehead against Barry’s and let out a breath. “You’re such an idiot sometimes, I swear.”

Barry scoffed, “Oh, whatever, you would’ve done the same.”

“That’s beside the point!” Cisco chastised, sitting up a little and looking down at Barry with a small smile.

Barry reached up and ran his fingers through Cisco’s hair, “Let me make it up to you?”

Cisco’s smile grew wider and he traced his fingers over Barry’s neck and collarbone. “How do you plan to do that, huh?”

“Let me take you home and we’ll find out, huh?” Barry quipped, unable to control his hips from bucking up a little into Cisco.

Cisco gasped and looked down at Barry with playful eyes, “You’re bad, Bar.”

“Francisco!” Caitlyn screeched from the doorway.

Cisco gave a squeaky shriek and then fumbled his way off of Barry, falling to the floor with a thud instead of landing on his feet.

Barry laughed and then looked to Caitlyn, suddenly very worried. “So, my arm is definitely not broken any more, it’s totally fine and you don’t even need to look at it.”

Caitlyn stalked closer and gave him a sidelong glare. She wrestled his arm out from under the blanket and just shook her head at the atrocity. She gave the couple a stern look, “I don’t know why you didn’t just tell me and insisted on these… these theatrics.” Cisco noticed she tended to sound a bit like Professor Stein when she got angry, but he kept that to himself.

“But I’ll have you know, that it hurt to be left out and that I will expect a full run down on all the details tomorrow.” She glared Cisco down as she said the last part. Then turned to Barry as her grip tightened on his arm, “Also, I don’t feel too bad when I do _this_.” She then snapped Barry’s arm at the same place as the previous break, causing Barry to yell out and Cisco to wince, bite his own fist and grab Barry’s shoulder.

Caitlyn gave a small sadistic grin then turned to gather the things she needed to set it properly.

A throat clearing drew Barry and Cisco’s attention to the doorway. Jesse and Wally stood there, hand in hand. They approached the bedside carefully. “Sorry we weren’t there when everything went down.” Wally started, looking down with concern at Barry. “I didn’t think we could help and we got a bit distracted.” Jesse stifled a giggle at that.

She looked between the couple and couldn’t help herself. “We looked at all of your pictures and can I just say you guys are the most adorable. I totally ship it.” She gave a little squeal at that.

“You… what?” Cisco asked, confused beyond belief.

Jesse ignored him, “My favorite one is the one of you guys in front of the waterfall. You should definitely frame it.”

Barry and Cisco both grinned and said, “Me too.” Then looked at one another, Cisco grabbing Barry’s good hand.

Jesse watched the exchange and couldn’t help another giddy squeal. “Ooookay, I think we should leave them alone now, Jesse.” Wally said, standing closer to her and wrapping an arm around her waist.

She sighed and looked up to him with affection. As they went to leave she looked back over her shoulder at the pair and added, “I want to hear the origin story later!” And Wally pulled her away from the doorway and down the hall.

Cisco and Barry were dumbfounded. “When…?” Cisco asked, pointing absently at the door.

Caitlyn shrugged, “You guys aren’t the only ones who got together this weekend.”

Barry gave a small smile and looked up to Cisco, “I think they’re cute.”

Cisco smiled back and squeezed Barry’s hand, “We’re cuter.”

Barry laughed at that, “It’s not a competition.”

Cisco scoffed, “And why not?”

Caitlyn just rolled her eyes as she finished applying the bandages and then the sling to Barry’s arm. “All set, Bar. Just don’t do anything with it for the rest of the night and it should be fine in the morning.” She turned to gather her things, “I’m going home. This has been a far too eventful day. Cisco, I expect a full debriefing in the morning.” She pointed a finger at him seriously.

“Aye, aye,” he said, saluting her sarcastically.

She laughed and rolled her eyes again, then disappeared down the hallway.

Cisco looked back to Barry, who was already smiling up at him.

“Firefly and cuddling?” Barry asked, sitting up more and moving to get off the bed.

Cisco brightened, “Can we get ice cream, too?”

Barry giggled and nodded, standing hesitantly to make sure he could first. When he was confident his strength was back, he turned so Cisco could hop on his back carefully, avoiding the broken arm. Once he was settled, they zipped off to Cisco’s apartment, the night air cooling their frantic emotions and putting them at ease.

~

Barry took his time running them back to Cisco’s apartment, although Cisco wouldn’t be able to tell. He gingerly set his boyfriend down in the living room before racing off to snag a couple pints of Cisco’s favorite ice cream.

When he returned, Cisco had plopped down in an arm chair, his legs spread wide as he slunk down into the cushions. His elbow rested on the arm of the chair and his hand held up his tired face. His eyes were closed and he only knew Barry was back because of his telltale gust of wind that always announced his arrival.

Barry took a moment to look down at Cisco, a small smile curling his lips as he sat the soon to be forgotten ice cream on the counter.

His boyfriend’s hair was ruffled from the wind and then lazily finger-combed into submission. His face was weary and tired from all the worry he carried with him nearly the whole day. The thought made Barry’s heart thump with affection while simultaneously sink with guilt. He didn’t regret his actions in the field that day, but seeing the toll it took on Cisco was enough to make his heart heavy.

He trailed his eyes down Cisco’s body, warmth starting deep within him when he realized they were finally alone.

Thoughts of their heated, brief encounter in the labs earlier came to mind. Cisco whimpering under Barry’s touch as he glided his hands over hard nipples. The taste of Cisco’s skin on his tongue. He licked his lips as his eyes traveled farther south.

Cisco’s thighs were spread wide, filling out his jeans and straining against the fabric with just enough muscle. Barry knew the feeling of them wrapped around his hips, strong and sure. In that moment he realized that he had yet to see his adorable boyfriend without pants on. He blushed deeply as desire bloomed within him.

Barry moved forward and before Cisco could open his eyes to see the intrusion, Barry already had his face in his hands and pressed their lips together lovingly. Cisco’s own hands went into Barry’s hair as he sighed deeply into their kiss.

Their tongues glided together and lips brushed longingly as Barry sat on his knees between Cisco’s thighs. His hands trailed down Cisco’s body, running over his chest and stomach and grabbing his hips. Barry broke away from the kiss to lick the nook of Cisco’s neck and nip at his soft skin.

Cisco was already whimpering in Barry’s ear, needing the affection and the passion more than he realized. He tried to sit up and move them elsewhere, but a firm hand on his chest pushed him back down into the chair.

Barry finally came up for air and ran his fingers through Cisco’s hair as he looked deeply into his big brown eyes. “Stay right there,” he said with a small smirk. His eyes flicked down over Cisco again, causing the shorter man to shiver under the hungry gaze. “And take off your shirt.”

Cisco gulped and answered with a breathless, “Yes, sir,” before scrambling to yank his shirt over his head.

Barry took a moment to look over his half naked boyfriend. His subtly muscled chest and biceps at his eye level; his caramel toned skin drawing his mouth closer with every passing moment. He was centimeters away from placing an open mouth kiss to one of Cisco’s pecks, but paused, looking up to his boyfriend who currently was biting his bottom lip with anticipation. Barry smiled brightly at him, “Cisco… You’re so beautiful.” The words were sincere and his tone dripped with reverence.

Cisco blushed a deep red, biting his lips and folding his arms over his chest, slightly embarrassed at the compliment. Barry placed a hand on each crossed arm and leaned up to kiss Cisco’s cheek sweetly. “I mean it,” he said softly, succeeding in pulling his boyfriend’s arms away and exposing his bare chest again.

He began to trail kisses from Cisco’s cheek downward. “You,” a kiss to the cheek. “Are the most,” a wet, biting kiss to the column of his neck. “Beautiful person,” a bite to his collarbone, eliciting a moan from Cisco’s parted lips above. “In the whole,” a hickey on his chest above his heart.

Barry paused for a moment and looked up at Cisco’s watchful eyes and parted lips as he waited for whatever came next with bated breath. He then looked to Cisco’s erect, hard nipple near his face, his own hot breath ghosting the goose-bumped skin.

“Multiverse,” he finished proudly, leaning in and licking Cisco’s nipple roughly and nipping it.

Moans and curses spilled from Cisco’s lips as his knees came up and his thighs wrapped tightly around Barry’s torso. He bucked his hips up into the space between them, his erection already straining against his pants.

Barry pulled away and smiled up at Cisco, who just looked down at him through lidded, pleading eyes. He didn’t ask when his hands trailed down Cisco’s stomach to the button on his pants.  Cisco’s whimper at Barry’s fingers brushing on his covered erection was all the confirmation he needed.

With his super speed, he unbuttoned, unzipped, and yanked down Cisco’s pants, leaving his boxers on for the moment. When he was done, Cisco sat before him, his legs spread open and erection straining against his remaining clothes. Barry couldn’t keep his hands from wandering everywhere his eyes went.

His fingers smoothed over the thick, muscular thighs, pushing his boxers up to reveal more soft, warm skin.

Cisco watched as Barry’s hands hooked under his knees and propped his legs up on the arms of the chair, leaving him exposed if not for his boxers. His head lolled back as Barry’s hands traced over the backs of his thighs, followed by his mouth, leaving a trail of open mouthed, sloppy kisses on the inside of his left thigh.

Barry took his time, kissing and biting, making a trail of hickeys and love marks all the way down Cisco’s thigh, then moved to the other. The poor man beneath him writhed with the desire to be touched. Barry couldn’t help himself as a hand grazed over the bulge of Cisco’s boxers.

When he couldn’t stand it anymore, Barry hooked a finger under the edge of Cisco’s boxers and looked up at him expectantly, as if asking.

Cisco just nodded frantically, biting his lip as he waited impatiently for what came next.

Barry’s grin lit up the room, then a flash later and Cisco was completely naked, legs propped up and his whole body on display for Barry, his heavy, thick cock bobbing in anticipation.

In retrospect, Cisco would have felt a bit uncomfortable at being in this particular position the very first time his boyfriend sees him fully in the nude. But there was something about the way Barry sat there, gob smacked as if in awe at the sight of Cisco’s bare body, which gave the shorter man a rush of self-esteem and pride in his appearance. He trusted Barry indefinitely and this was just another way to show it.

Meanwhile, Barry was struck by how lucky he was. How could someone so amazing, so beautiful, and so… sexy be this into him? Cisco’s self-assuredness and deep trust in Barry were so evident in that moment and Barry silently vowed to never break that trust.

“Fuck, Cisco…” Barry said breathlessly, before surging up and holding his face, kissing him deeply and passionately all over again.

Cisco whimpered into Barry’s mouth as he kissed back just as enthusiastically, his tongue a little sloppy with desire.

A moment later, Barry pulled away and as he leaned to whisper in Cisco’s ear, he reached a hand to tweak one of his nipples. “I’m so hungry for you, Cisco,” he nearly growled. A whiny moan came from the man beneath him. “Your cock is so big; I can’t wait to taste it.” Barry licked his lips and looked down at the already leaking, red cock bobbing impatiently between Cisco’s strong legs.

“Jesus, Barry, for the love of god, please…” Cisco spat out, clawing at Barry’s back, nearly shaking from the want.

Barry leaned back and lowered his head to Cisco’s throbbing erection, his mouth watering uncontrollably at the sight. He looked back up to the beautiful man and smiled, looking him straight in the eye as he swallowed him whole, fitting all of Cisco into his mouth until his lips wrapped around the base of his cock.

The faces Cisco made were enough to make Barry finish, unattended in his own fortress of clothing. His jaw slack, then a wince as the head hit the back of Barry’s throat, then his head lolling back against the chair once he was all the way in. He looked back down to Barry and ran his fingers through his hair, whimpering as Barry’s tongue went to work on his shaft.

“Barry, holy… mother of…” Cisco couldn’t complete one thought, all his mind could process was the heat, the wetness, the humming, no, _buzzing?!_ “Fuck! Barry, how are you real?!”

The speedster smiled slightly as his head bobbed up and down rhythmically over Cisco’s cock, taking him in fully and then slipping out again almost completely. He couldn’t help the vibrating given how excited he was that this was really happening. He kept up his pace for a few minutes, keeping the vibrating to a minimum before he saw Cisco’s face scrunch slightly and felt his hips buck up a little more.

“Bar… I’m gonna…” Cisco got out between eruptive moans and whimpers.

Barry popped his mouth off of Cisco and smiled up at him, his lips wet and dripping, “Do it.” Cisco held his face for a moment and wiped a thumb across his wet lip. “I want you to.” He leaned back down again and hooked his hands under Cisco’s legs and around his thighs, holding him steadily in place. “Cum for me?” He asked playfully before sucking Cisco in all the way again.

Cisco didn’t know what to do with himself. Barry had him cornered on the chair and he loved it. He watched as the speedster moved slightly too fast for a normal human, then the _vibrating_ , “My GOD, Barry!” Cisco exclaimed, putting his hands on Barry’s head.

A few seconds more was all it took before Cisco lurched forward, inadvertently pushing Barry’s head down farther as his hips bucked up forcefully into his mouth, stuttering for several blissful moments as he filled Barry’s mouth. The speedster just swallowed him whole, smiling to himself at the sounds and the feeling of Cisco all around him.

Cisco eventually collapsed backwards back into the chair, eyes lolling closed as his body tried to comprehend the vast amounts of pleasure he just experienced. Barry came up for air and wiped his mouth on Cisco’s discarded shirt. He smiled up at Cisco, the disheveled, sated, naked man before him caused his heart to do backflips.

Getting to his knees, he scooped Cisco up bridal style and slowly walked them to the couch. He settled Cisco down and then took off his own pants and shirt, snuggling in close to him. Cisco turned happily and wrapped his arms around Barry, nuzzling into his neck.

Barry giggled softly to himself, pulling a blanket over the two of them. He held Cisco protectively, running a hand into his hair. “So, today went well, huh?” He murmured into the mop of dark hair.

Cisco nodded weakly, holding Barry tighter, “Better than I imagined.” He then pulled back slightly to look up at Barry, “You know, if all it takes is a little explosion to get you to do _that_ again, I can set something up.” He gave a bright smile, reaching up to cup Barry’s face.

Barry chuckled, “I don’t need explosions. One look at you and I’m a goner, babe.”

Cisco couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

The pair shared a sweet, slow kiss before tucking in closer and dozing off quickly, wrapped in one another’s warmth and unspoken love.


	13. Meanwhile, back at the lab...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry and Cisco face the consequences of returning back to their "normal" lives: Barry's imminent tardiness, Caitlyn and Iris' insatiable need for deets, and Cisco's equally insatiable need to innovate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite the hiatus by yours truly! Hope this chapter lives up to your expectations and I hope to update again sooner this time. :)
> 
> Many, many thanks to the super-duper turtlelady17 for beta-ing and listening to my usual ramblings. :D

A whisk whisking, a pan sizzling, the smell of a warm kitchen, and the low sounds of happy humming: all of these wondrous sensations mingled together in the early morning air and danced their way into Barry’s consciousness, stirring him awake with a small smile already beginning. 

He slowly dragged himself off of the couch, a silent yawn breaking across his sleepy face. He grabbed the giant blanket they had slept in and wrapped it around himself like a cocoon. His feet padded slowly and softly as he moseyed to the entryway of the kitchen. 

The sight he saw brightened his face: Cisco was facing away from him, clad in only boxers and socks, whisking a huge bowl of eggs. Notably, he was dancing and humming some song to himself that Barry couldn’t make out. He stifled a giggle as Cisco shook his hips back and forth, throwing in a good body roll when the song got good. 

Barry couldn’t help himself as he quickly and quietly came up behind Cisco. The small gust of wind was enough to alert him of his meta boyfriend’s arrival. Cisco yelped, naturally, and spun around, almost knocking over his giant bowl of raw eggs. When he saw who it was his eyes blew wide and he covered his face. Barry giggled and encircled Cisco in his blanket cocoon, holding him close against his bare chest. 

Cisco just shook his head, hands still covering his face. “That… was like textbook awkward.” His words came out muffled as Barry just laughed and hugged him tighter. 

“You pronounced sexy wrong,” Barry couldn’t help a sly smile. Cisco pulled back, hands resting against Barry’s chest, giving him a pointed look with a raised eyebrow and a creeping smile. 

“I was literally dancing, to no music, in the kitchen, in my boxers.” 

“Exactly,” Barry said, pushing Cisco up against the counter and pressing them together. 

The shorter man looked up with a big smile, “Bar, I don’t know what your definition of sexy is, but I’m going to roll with it.” 

“It’s you,” he said, before closing the gap between them and pressing their lips together slowly and softly. In their cocoon, Cisco’s hands slid around and up Barry’s back, holding his shoulders firmly and pulling him in tightly. 

A deep, gurgling growl came from the warmth between them, causing them both to look down in shock and then giggle uncontrollably. Barry pulled away from Cisco and let him get back to cooking. 

He helped by getting out of the way and starting a pot of coffee. He set a mug with cream and extra sugar next to Cisco and sat on a barstool nearby to watch him do his thing. Cisco sipped his coffee and then tossed his giant mixture of eggs on the stove, scrambling enough for a high school football team.

A few moments later, the pair sat at the kitchen counter, close enough that their legs were wrapped together and the blanket was draped around them once again. Cisco added hot sauce to his plate of eggs, Barry salted the skillet in front of him. “I still don’t know why I can’t get my own plate.”

Cisco just shook his head and pointed a fork at him, “Don’t play like you’re not gonna eat all of that.” 

Barry chuckled and stole a bite from Cisco’s plate. He was answered by a scoff, “How  _ dare _ you! I slave away in this kitchen for you day in and day out and  _ this  _ is the thanks I get?”

Barry just grinned at him and kissed his nose. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.” 

“I’m cute in all my moods and you know it,” Cisco sassed back, stealing his bite of food back from Barry’s pan. 

“Especially when you’re tired. Like last night.” Barry already forgot his food and was inching closer to Cisco, wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing his cheek. 

Cisco blushed deeply with the reminder. “About that… last night was really… intense.” 

“Oh?” Barry asked, pulling away, suddenly self-conscious.

“No! I mean, in a good way. Like we’ve never gone that far before,” Cisco reached for Barry’s hands and held them in his own. “I just know you said you wanted to take things slow and I didn’t want the rollercoaster that was yesterday to-to… I just, I don’t want you to regret it, I guess.”

“What?” Barry asked incredulously, “Cisco, how could I ever regret that?” He inched closer to Cisco, wrapping his arms back around him, “Last night was amazing. I would, and will, do it all over again, as many times as you’ll let me. I wanted to go slow because I wanted this to mean something, to be more than just a physical thing. And last night just proved that to me.” He lifted a hand up and tangled his fingers in Cisco’s hair, “Last night was trust and care like I’ve never experienced before. So, thank you, for sharing your body with me. Thank you for trusting me.” 

Cisco’s eyes were glistening from the sweet words. He didn’t know what to say to that, so he just shook his head with a small smile on, waving dismissively at Barry, “Oh, stop it. You’re making me blush.” He looked back to Barry, who was smiling at him with bright eyes. “You’re something else, Bear,” he said, leaning in to place a loving kiss on his lips, lingering for a few moments in their warm embrace. 

When Cisco pulled away, he noticed the clock on the oven out of the corner of his eye, “You’re also late,” he said with a chuckle. 

Barry snapped up to look at the time and all Cisco heard before the blur took off to get dressed was, “Shi-.”

Cisco stayed at the kitchen counter, finishing his breakfast and smiling happily to himself, swinging his feet with glee. His blur of a boyfriend returned for a moment to scarf down his breakfast and kiss Cisco on the cheek, wishing him a good day as he flashed out of the apartment. 

~

Caitlyn walked into Cisco's lab and found him humming along happily as he tinkered with some contraption. She cleared her throat as she walked up to him. 

Looking up from his tech he greeted her with a huge smile, “Morning!” 

She couldn't help but smile back at him. “Something's got you in a great mood this morning.” 

He answered with a shrug and a lousy attempt at dimming his smile. 

She pulled up a chair and looked at the tech with curiosity, “What's that going to be?” 

“Oh! It's this great idea I had when we were swimming and…” His face fell and darkened as he remembered how horribly their Big Reveal turned out.  _ She should be furious with me.  _ “I'm so sorry about not telling you everything immediately! I don't even know how I held it all in! I wanted it to be a fun surprise, but then it ended up like  _ that _ . I never meant to keep anything from you. Well, I guess I did, but it wasn't supposed to be a bad thing and --”

“Cisco!” Caitlyn laughed as she waved her hands around for him to stop. “It's okay. Really. I'm not upset.” 

“Really, really?” Cisco asked timidly, wringing his hands a little. 

“Really, really.” She reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder. Her grip suddenly got much firmer, “Now, Ramon.  _ Details _ .”

Cisco then dove headfirst into explaining all the parts they left out over dinner the night before. Harry sauntered in for some supplies just as Cisco was explaining the diner incident. When he heard “I didn't realize how rough his hands would be,” Harry couldn't help an “ugh” from slipping out. 

Later, the dancing incident came up and when he heard “I sort of love/hate how jealous he got,” Harry quit pilfering through the box of tech and just lugged the whole box out of there. 

When he was gone Cisco and Caitlyn couldn't stop their giggles. “Someone needs to get laid.” Cisco quipped. 

“No kidding. Speaking of,”  S he rounded back on Cisco with an expectant, questioning look. 

Cisco just laughed at her question and shook his head. “We haven't gone  _ all the way _ ”, his air quotes dancing around his face. “Buuuut…” He trailed off, turning back to his work in his swivel chair. 

“But what? You can't leave me hanging like that!” 

Cisco tossed his head back and peeked at her out of the corner of his eyes, “He vibrates.” 

“Well, we know that already- wait,” She froze mid-sentence with a quizzical look, followed by a look of consideration, rounded off with small shudder of a cringe. Her hands waved around her head as her eyes squeezed tight, “I’m happy we can talk about these things and that is  _ so cool _ , but like I can’t, you guys, you’re both, you’re my friends! Why is my brain so imaginative?” She finishes lamely with a blush.

Cisco just laughed as he watched her flounder. “Sounds like you need someone else to imagine. Dare I say, drinks? Tonight?” He wriggled his eyebrows.

She couldn’t help but grin widely and nod enthusiastically. “I’ll tell everyone!” 

~

Barry and Iris sat down at their favorite tex-mex place for lunch. Iris with her usual pescado tacos and Barry with his four orders of arroz con pollo. 

“I hate having to order so much in public. I feel like the waiters always hate me or think I’m messing with them,” Barry said with a small frown as he poked his food and looked around before practically inhaling an entire plate of food. 

“What does it matter? You look great and they get paid,” she shrugged it off. “Now, dish!” 

Barry bit his lip before starting in on his very winded explanation of all the adorable things Cisco did and how all of this came to be. Somewhere between his second and third plate of food he got to the dancing and kissing part and Iris had to stop him. 

“Hold up. You're telling me that you, Barry Allen,  _ danced  _ with someone and it was  _ so good  _ that they kissed you? What alternate universe have you created for us, Bear?”

Barry giggled and flicked a piece of corn chip at her. “Whatever. It was crazy romantic and I'm a great dancer.”

“Mhm,” Iris said, unable to keep her sass to herself as she pointedly sipped her margarita. 

Much later, over sopapillas, Barry recounted their morning to her. He had skimmed over the more intimate parts, leaving them out for Iris’ sake. 

“I just, I don't know. I didn't realize I'd fallen this hard. It's sort of taken me by surprise, but I love him... I mean  _ ‘it’ _ ! I love  **it.** ” 

Iris, however, caught what he said and her eyes snapped up to meet his. The pink in his cheeks mixed with the excitement and thoughtful look in his eyes egged her on. “Barry. Allen. You lo-”

“Don't say it!” Barry pointed a threatening finger at her. 

She narrowed her eyes at him with her head cocked to the side. 

“Just don't.” He said nearly exasperated already. “I'm getting ahead of myself.”

Iris sighed with him and grabbed his hand, “Barry, I think you guys are great together. You click and you make each other happy. Don't get overwhelmed and talk yourself out of it. Just take it one beautiful moment at a time.” 

Barry smiled bashfully, looking down to their clasped hands. When he looked back up to Iris, “Thank-- hey!” 

Iris froze, shoving one of his sopapillas in her mouth. “What? You owed me!” 

~

That evening Barry rushed to STAR labs to find Cisco and Wally in the testing arena, fussing over some kind of tech. 

“No, the power will surge and short circuit the whole thing if you go that way,” Wally said, shooing Cisco’s hands away and taking his screwdriver. 

“Not if  _ I’m _ the power. I should be able to control it.” Cisco said, tucking his hair behind his ears and biting on a nail. Barry could see the furrow in Cisco’s brow, a telltale sign that he was deep in thought and calculations. 

“But in the heat of battle you don’t know how you’ll react. That’s why I’m saying add an energy reserve so you don’t need to always focus on your ride, you know?”

Cisco nodded and turned abruptly when he heard Barry walk up and peep out “battle?” in a tiny worried voice. 

“Bear!” Cisco chirped. He closed the distance between them and hopped onto him, wrapping his legs and arms around him in a tight hug. 

Barry stumbled in surprise from the enthusiastic hug before he hugged him back tightly, holding him up and burying his face in Cisco’s neck. 

Wally looked up and couldn’t help a smile at the pair.

When they separated, Cisco took Barry by the hand and pulled him over to their current project: a silver board, the shape of a teardrop with grip tape on the top of it. One half of the board was open and showed all the complex wiring and machines underneath. The bottom panel which was lying off to the side had dozens of concentric circles all over in a seemingly random pattern. “It’s a…”

“Hoverboard!” Cisco exclaimed, “a cooler, more original name is TBD, but that’s essentially what it is.” He looked to Barry expectantly 

At first Barry’s mind went to the danger Cisco could get in and he hated the sight of the device. Then he looked to Cisco and saw the excitement and pride in his eyes and he remembered their talks back in the jungle about this very thing. 

Barry simply squeezed Cisco’s hand tighter and smiled so big the skin around his eyes crinkled. “That’s so awesome, Cisco! How does it work?”

“Well!” Cisco began excitedly, letting go of Barry’s hand and pointing at various clusters of machinery. “The intake comes in here,” he said pointing to the grip tape. “I installed some highly sensitive acoustic receivers here which will suck in my vibes like a microphone. Then the board acts as a sort of amplifier, bouncing the vibes back out towards the ground.” He crossed back over to Barry and put a hand on his arm. “You know at like concerts they have those huge speakers that make you feel the beat in your chest?” He patted a light fist on Barry’s chest, which made them both blush a tad. “It’s basically like that, but a lower, less destructive vibration. Wally’s helped me with the flight mechanics, noise cancelling apparatus , and power supply.” 

“Hell, yeah! We’ll have you flying in no time! Wish I could take it for a spin though.” Wally said, screwing the rest of the power supply in place.

“You and I both know if you did , you’d go so fast your face would melt off.” Cisco quipped, moving to help fasten on the bottom panel. 

Barry pondered that statement, “ _ Could _ his face melt off? With enough speed?”

Cisco made his signature thinking face as Wally started screwing everything back together. “Yeah, I mean, enough velocity will create enough pushback on his face.”

“The pushback would create some serious friction.” Barry added, putting real thought into this.

“And where there’s friction there’s energy.” Cisco answered.

“Energy is heat.” Barry supplied.

Cisco nodded, “And heat is the primary component of melting. So, I guess? But your face doesn’t melt when you go fast, Bear”

Barry agreed with a short nod, then pointed at himself, “But I’ve got super healing, too. So maybe my face is healing so quickly that you can’t see it melting in the first place.”

Wally laughed at that one, “I don’t think your face even melts to begin with. You’re the embodiment of speed and velocity, dude.”

“Yeah!” Cisco chimed, “The speedforce is just cool with you, so it doesn’t melt your face no matter how fast you go.”

Barry gave a chuckle, “Just don’t mention any of this to Caitlyn. She would totally want to find a way to test my face-melting abilities.” He pointed back at the board,“So, how fast  _ does _ it go?” Barry said, genuinely curious,  but also wondering what safety precautions there would be if Cisco went flying off of it.

Cisco shrugged before putting down his tools and turning it over. “Wanna test it out?”

Barry grinned and nodded enthusiastically, beating them both to the large inner track of the particle accelerator, suit already on and bouncing on the balls of his feet. He remembered how much fun they had racing on the water and couldn’t wait to get started. 

Cisco met him there with Wally a few minutes later, both carrying one end of the board. He also took the time to change into his suit and helmet he wore on their trip, which made Barry smile involuntarily. A little winded, Cisco took a beat after setting it down, “Firstly, it needs to be  _ much _ lighter.”

After catching his breath, Cisco was hesitantly placing his feet on the board, Barry right by his side and Wally observed from the computer at the entrance. 

The couple exchanged meaningful looks and a nod before Cisco closed his eyes and concentrated a dull vibe through his feet. After a minute or two of not feeling any changes he opened his eyes and gasped. 

Barry stood three heads shorter than him, hand cupped over his mouth as he watched Cisco float in front of him. 

Cisco gave a nervous laugh, then a loud  _ whoop _ ! Leaning forward with his right foot he began to glide forward at the pace of a light jog. Barry stayed right by his side, smiling and alert in case he were to fall. Cisco then leaned into it more and shot off at an alarming rate. Barry guessed about sixty miles an hour as they circled the track together. Cisco whooped and yelped as they ran side by side. He laughed as he held his arms out to his sides and closed his eyes, leaning into the wind. “Jack! I feel like I’m flying!” As soon as the words came out the duo fell into a fit of laughter, causing Cisco to lose his balance and fly off of his board, hurtling towards the curved wall. 

Barry scooped him up with ease, but they both watched as the board went flying into a wall and scattered into a hundred pieces. They both winced at the small explosion. Barry set Cisco back on his feet, but held him close, noticing the dizziness in his stance. Pulling back his cowl he turned to his boyfriend, “Cisco, I’m sorry…”

Cisco looked at him with the biggest smile and furrowed his brow as he asked, “For what? That was awesome! I have so many ideas and improvements for the next one.” He grabbed Barry’s face with both hands, looking him right in the eyes, “I got my wings, baby!” Cisco pulled him in for a heated kiss. 

They pulled away when they heard Wally jog up who stopped near them to do a little dance. Throwing his hands in the air and wiggling his hips side to side, he couldn’t help but let out a loud “woo-hoo!” that echoed through the track. “That was amazing, dude!” he said, smiling at Cisco’s enthusiastic thumbs up as he continued to pass them up to gather the broken pieces of tech. 

Cisco pulled Barry down again to place a quick, wet, biting kiss to his neck and grab a fistfull of his ass. When they pulled away Barry’s face was flushed and he was biting his bottom lip. 

His suit was suddenly too tight and he squirmed in it until everything was positioned okay. Cisco was already gathering tech and Barry slipped by him whispering, “Are you always like this after a breakthrough?” 

They smirked at one another and Cisco just nodded laughing. “I guess we need more breakthroughs then, huh?” Giving a tooth grin.

Cisco huffed a laugh in response, throwing a loose bolt in Barry’s general direction to distract from his pink blush. 

Barry smiled back in response and made a few celebratory laps around the track, shouting, “I have a genius boyfriend!”


	14. Happy Hour! First Round's On Me!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cisco finally gets Cait her night out with the gang and everyone finally gets to cut loose for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHAME to me for this hiatus. Here's some silliness for y'all.

With a grin, Cisco tossed back the rest of his fruity cocktail nearly slamming the glass back down with excitement, “And he’s just  _ so cute _ , Iris! I mean, have you seen him?” 

Iris laughed along, sipping on her Cosmo, “What’s your favorite part about him?” 

The gang finally went out for the drink Cisco had promised Caitlin and now, a few drinks down, Cisco was gushing about his new boyfriend. Iris was more than happy to lend an ear, ecstatic to see someone so infatuated with Barry and even more so to see Cisco so head-over-heels.

Cisco ‘pshawed’ at the question, waving a dismissive hand at her, “Like  _ all of him _ ? I can’t- no, I  _ won’t _ pick.” 

The pair’s giggling was interrupted by Wally who appeared at their table out of the crowd, “Hey, have y’all seen Barry? We’re next on the darts roster and I can’t find him anywhere.” The young man had a tiny grin on as well, his coconut rum drink tingeing his cheeks with warmth. 

“I’ll be your partner, partner!” Jesse said, appearing from the crowd and hugging Wally around the waist. 

Wally grinned back to her and placed an arm around her shoulders, “We do make a pretty good team, huh?” he asked, kissing her on the forehead lovingly. 

Iris was beaming at the pair, “You both go kill em; Cisco and I will go find Barry.” 

“Onward!” Cisco declared, hopping up and grabbing Iris’ offered hand as she steered them through the crowd. 

“Barry!” “Bar!” “Barry!” “Babe!” “Hold up-” Iris and Cisco had been taking turns calling out his name to the crowd, but Iris had to stop at that last one. “You call him babe?” She asked with a smirk. 

Cisco shifted on his feet a bit, tucking some hair behind his ear and fighting a smile. “Uh, yeah. Cause he is one.”

“That is so fuckin’ cute! What else do y’all call each other?” She was practically bouncing on her toes. 

Cisco shrugged, “That’s it so far! It hasn’t been long enough to come up with a ton!” 

Iris smiled back, “Well, I know you, Cisco. You’ll have about a thousand before the month is over.”

Cisco smiled at that and continued to follow her as she pulled him through the crowd. Iris’ approval meant the world to him. Having her so enthusiastic about them, the little things and the big picture, made Cisco feel even more comfortable with their budding relationship.

They finally found Barry: huddled over a songbook with Caitlin near the stage as they fought over which song to pick. 

“Backstreet Boys!” Caitlin proclaimed, pointing a firm finger on the page, “Pleaseeee?” She begged, before sipping more of her cocktail. 

“Absolutely not! Sinatra!” Barry argued, taking another inconspicuous swig from his flask which contained Caitlin’s homebrew of 10,000 proof. He was pink cheeked from the drinking and smiling, but still holding his own in the ongoing battle of karaoke. 

Cisco squealed when he saw him, running over and wrapping his arms around Barry’s waist. “I found you!” 

“Hey!” Barry said, turning to Cisco and hugging him close. “Please tell Cait that I don’t do Backstreet Boys?” 

Cisco let out an explosive laugh, “Phrasing!” He held out a palm to Iris, who promptly gave him five. 

“And you so do, Bar!” Iris interjected, “I was the one who would beg you to turn it off in junior high school!” 

“No! Not true!” Barry said; his smile betrayed him. “Besides, you know you loved singing along while doing laundry and pretending to do homework!” 

“This is  _ not _ about me,” Iris stated, grinning and walking over to flip through the book herself. 

“Iris, will  _ you _ sing Backstreet Boys with me? You have such a beautiful voice!” Caitlin pleaded, taking one of Iris’ hands and sticking out her bottom lip ever so subtly. 

Iris laughed and nodded, “Let’s show this place what we got, Cait.” 

Cisco took the perfect opportunity to walk backwards into the thick of the crowd, his arms still firmly around Barry’s waist. 

“Hey, what’re you-” Barry started, but then noticed the mischievous look in Cisco’s eyes and followed him into the crowd. “Where are you taking me?” Barry asked playfully as he held onto Cisco’s shoulders, who was now forging a path for them.

“Honestly, I have no idea, Bar,” Cisco said over his shoulders. “I just saw an opportunity for escape and I took it.” 

Barry laughed and slid his arms around Cisco’s chest, hugging him close as they shuffled through the crowd, lips grazing his ear. “If you want, I can help us make a more grand escape,” his words were thick and suggestive and one of his hands came up to brush Cisco’s hair behind his ear. 

Cisco shivered at the offer, then a frustrated groan escaped him. “I can’t, babe. I promised Cait a night out and if we don’t get fries from Big Belly Burger while we all stumble home, then it won’t be successful.” His hands came up to rest on Barry’s arms, thumbing lightly on his skin to console him. 

Barry huffed a little, then kissed the side of Cisco’s neck, just quick enough for being in public, but still enough to make Cisco lick his lips, “Then maybe we can find some place-- oh hey!” 

Cisco looked to who Barry was greeting, his mind mildly hazy from the drinks and Barry’s lips on his neck. Barry extracted himself from Cisco to hug a young guy that seemed to appear from the crowd. He was slightly taller than Cisco with ruffled blonde hair and a great smile. “Barry! How are you? It’s been a while!” The hug was brief but warm, with the other guy’s hand lingering on Barry’s bicep a moment too long for Cisco’s taste. 

“John! Things are well! How about yourself?” Barry asked politely, stepping back closer to Cisco’s side. 

“Good! Just finishing my Masters; so close to the end!” John said excitedly. “How’s the CSI-thing going?”

_ Wow _ , Cisco thought,  _ not even gonna say hello _ . He reached for Barry’s hand and then extended the other to  _ John _ .  _ Kill ‘em with kindness, Ramon, kill ‘em with kindness. _ “Hi, Cisco, Barry’s boyfriend, nice to meet you,” effectively terminating whatever conversation they were previously having. 

John shook Cisco’s hand and looked between the two of them, “Oh! Nice to meet you, too.”  _ Mhm,  _ Cisco thought, quirking an eyebrow. “Well, I’m going to grab another drink; nice to see you, Barry.” And like that, he was swallowed by the crowd. 

Cisco turned to Barry, who was looking at him with a slightly amused expression, “So, what was that about?” Barry asked.

Cisco shrugged and shook his head, “What was what about, Bar?”

Barry full on grinned and poked Cisco’s side, “You got  _ jealous _ , dude! We only hugged and you got  _ so jealous _ ,” he teased lightly, pulling Cisco close again and wrapping his arms around him. 

“Only hugged?” Cisco asked, fighting a smile. “He, like,  _ caressed _ your arm and he didn’t even acknowledge me!” 

“Oh, so, you into arm caressing? Want to find a backroom and I can let you caress my arms for awhile?” Barry teased and pressed their foreheads together, swaying them side to side lightly with the music.

Cisco swayed along happily, “Whatever, Bar. I just want everyone to know that I have the best boyfriend ever. That’s all.”

“You wanna show me off, Ramon? Want me to be your  _ arm _ candy?” Barry teased, leaning in to press a kiss to Cisco’s cheek.

“You’re such a little shit, I don’t know how I put up with you,” Cisco tsked. 

“I don’t either, but please don’t stop.” Barry asked, grinning as he pulled Cisco in for a kiss. It started chaste, with all the intentions to be a perfectly PDA kiss, but then Barry caught the sweetness on Cisco’s lips from his drink. He hummed into the flavor and deftly licked deeper into Cisco’s mouth, their tongues meeting to slide together sensually as they swayed. 

Cisco went weak at the knees; the tingly sensations from Barry’s tongue against his own matched with the haze of the bar was enough to spur heat and desire deep within him. His hands went to Barry’s hips and pulled him close with confidence as he bit and tugged lightly on Barry’s bottom lip. Even through the cacophony of the bar, Cisco could hear Barry’s tiny whimper and he had to forcibly remind himself he was in public before he pushed any further.

Pulling away from the kiss, the pair couldn’t help but giggle and hold onto one another. Cisco finally leaned up to Barry’s ear and asked, “So, this backroom you keep bringing up?” 

Barry bit his lip and with no further preamble, grabbed one of Cisco’s wrists and pulled him through the crowd. 

Cisco chuckled to himself as he let Barry pull him towards the back of the bar. Delighted, he couldn’t help himself from telling random passersby, “That’s my boyfriend! That’s Barry, we’re boyfriends.” 

Barry overheard and laughed, butterflies in his stomach at how giddy and proud Cisco was about their relationship. 

Finally, they came across a locked door for a storage room. Barry phased his hand through the door and managed to unlock it from the other side without needing to break it. He quickly zipped them in and the next thing Cisco knew he was pressed against a wall lined with kegs as Barry boxed him in. 

Their lips met quickly as their hands tugged one another closer. The kiss was heady and urgent, the pair yearning for one another’s touch and tongue. Cisco whimpered softly into Barry’s mouth as the speedster buzzed a tongue over Cisco’s own. 

Barry pressed his hips into Cisco’s, grunting under his breath when he felt Cisco’s hard length press against his through their clothes. He pulled away from their kiss as Cisco’s mouth traveled to his neck, causing Barry to shiver all over. “God, Cisco, I’ve been thinking about getting my hands on you all day.” 

Cisco made an  _ mf _ sound at the words and pulled away from the hickey he always tried to give Barry but was never able to succeed. “Now you do. Question is, what are you gonna do about it?” With that, Cisco rolled his hips against Barry, sliding their clothed erections together lightly, causing Barry to drop his head backward from the sensation. 

Barry met Cisco’s eyes again and shook his head incredulously, cupping Cisco’s face with his hands, “How are you so damn sexy?” he asked before pulling him into another kiss. 

Cisco laughed into the kiss and continued to press into Barry, curling his fingers into his belt loops and tugging him closer. He pulled away again, licking his lips and giving Barry this knowing look, “You’re thinking of one thing right now, huh?” 

Barry gave him a confused look, turning his head to the side like a puppy. 

Cisco swiped a thumb across Barry’s bottom lip as he bit his own, “There’s one thing you want to do to me, that you want us to do, in here, right now. You said it yourself; been thinking about it all day.” He ran a hand through Barry’s fluffed hair, “What is it?”

A deep blush bloomed on Barry’s cheeks as he knew exactly what he wanted already. 

Cisco didn’t even wait for an answer, he grinned at the blush and instructed, “Do it.” 

Barry didn’t need any more encouragement as he pressed Cisco up against the wall, colliding their mouths together in a needy, urgent kiss. His hands went to the button on Cisco’s pants and he inched them down just far enough to free Cisco’s hard length. 

Cisco moaned aloud as Barry’s hand grasped him, breaking off the kiss and whimpering as Barry began to stroke him slowly and with confidence.

Barry’s other hand left Cisco’s hips and reached for his own pants, pushing them down just far enough so his own erection was standing tall between them. 

Cisco reached a hand and dragged a palm over the soft skin of Barry’s stomach before taking Barry’s length into his own hand and stroking him at the same pace. 

Both of the young men groaned from one another’s attentions; Barry caught Cisco’s lips again, sliding their tongues together as his thumb circled Cisco’s head, smearing his precum and causing Cisco to take in a shaky breath. 

Cisco began to stroke Barry faster, trying to match Barry’s speed, and after all this was a quickie. Barry made a noise and broke off their kiss, looking down and reaching for Cisco’s hand. “While this is amazing, and I will do it any time,  _ this _ is what I was thinking about.” 

Barry moved Cisco’s hand off of his erection and positioned his hips so both of their hard lengths were pressed against one another. With his own hand, he gripped them both together and began to stroke them.

Cisco moaned from the sight and the heat of Barry’s hard cock pressed against his own, their precum mixing together as they ground against one another. His hand met opposite of Barry’s and the pair rocked into the embrace, their foreheads pressed together as they looked down at themselves. 

“Fuck, Bar,” Cisco cursed with an air of disbelief before pressing their lips together again and coaxing Barry’s buzzing tongue into his mouth. 

Both men began to whimper from the sensations. Cisco bit Barry’s bottom lip, as he had learned to do what felt like a lifetime ago; Barry tugged on Cisco’s hair as he did, both moaning and thoroughly debauched. 

Just before Barry started to vibrate his hands against their leaking, red cocks, the pair froze, hearing the door knob jiggle and the telltale chime of a key ring. “Another IPA, right?” called one barkeep to another.

“Shit, shit shit,” Cisco said under his breath. 

Barry sprang into action; in the blink of an eye he reluctantly buttoned them back up and just as the door creaked open, he sped them out of there and into a side hallway. Letting go of Cisco he took a deep breath to collect himself. “Whew, that was close,” he said with a small laugh, turning to find his boyfriend.

The poor guy had his head pressed into the crook of his arm, shielding his eyes as he leaned into the wall by their side. He stomped a foot and clenched a fist. “Yeah,  _ I  _ was close,” he exclaimed, trying not to be too annoyed. 

Barry chuckled; his quick sprint helped him get over the lack of release for the time being. Reaching out for Cisco’s hip to console him, he giggled as Cisco dropped his arm and backed away slightly. 

“Oh, no, you don’t.” He said, wagging a finger in his boyfriend’s face. “I’m trying real hard to keep my cool right now, you-you siren!”

Barry just grinned back and took another step toward him as Cisco backed away further. “Did things get too heated for you?” 

Cisco raised his eyebrows, “Uh, no.  _ Too  _ heated, not possible. We need more heat, Bar, if I have any say in it.” He finished with a small smile as Barry had managed to corner him against a wall again. 

“So, we can go, then? If you have any say in it?” Barry asked, wiggling his eyebrows enticingly.

Cisco giggled at how silly that was and nodded, “Yeah, I--”

“I found him!” 

Cisco and Barry let out a huge sigh as Caitlin’s voice rang out near them. 

“Cisco! You missed me and Iris singing! Come on, make it up to me and get me some fries!” Caitlin insisted, scooting up next to him and bumping shoulders. 

Cisco gave her a sidelong look that if sober-Cait were around, she would have picked up on. But unfortunately, Mai-Tai-Cait was here for the night and such subtle social cues were not her forte. He rolled his eyes with a defeated smile and laced their arms together, starting to lead her to the front door. He made sure to give Barry a little smack on the ass as he walked away, calling over his shoulder, “Guess you weren’t fast enough, babe.”

Barry stood with a slack jaw, dumbfounded at the comment and yet emboldened to remedy this situation. 

~

“So, what’s your favorite kind of french fry?” Wally asked Jesse, wrapping his arms around her waist as she sat in his lap at the closest Big Belly Burger to the bar. 

She hummed as she thought, sipping her soda, “Those curly ones that look like springs! I don’t know why, but my Earth didn’t have those, which is a damn shame.”

Wally laughed along with her, “Those are the best!” He turned to Barry and Cisco from where they sat across the booth. “What’re you guys favorite kind?”

Cisco was sitting flush against Barry’s side, trapping him against the wall in their booth. His left leg was draped in between Barry’s legs and the speedster was thumbing loving circles on his thigh, trying desperately to not inch farther up his leg. “Huh?” Cisco asked, a bit distracted. “Oh, um, waffle fries. Hands down, waffle fries.” 

“Excuse me?” Barry asked, feigning offense. “I’ll have you know that tator tots are the best fry.”

“Whoa, what? A tator tot isn’t even a fry!” Cisco exclaimed, snatching Barry’s shake and taking a sip. 

“How is it not? It’s potato… and it’s fried… it just happens to be in the shape of a, I don’t know, a tot!” Barry argued, before placing his hand over Cisco’s on the cup and tilting the straw into his own mouth, causing Cisco to give Barry a sassy look of disbelief.

“Uh, oh,” Wally said to Jesse, “This is how it all ends.” 

Jesse giggled and pressed back into him, her hands laced with his around her waist. “Everyone knows, if you can’t agree on fried potatoes, it won’t last,” she agreed.

Cisco and Barry both stopped their bickering and turned back to Wally. “That’s not even a thing!” Cisco exclaimed, waving an arm around emphatically. 

Barry harrumphed said defiantly, “Come on, babe. I’ll get you some waffle fries!” He started to scoot Cisco out of the booth.

“Yeah! And I’m gonna get him some tater tots! Even if they’re not really fries!” Cisco proclaimed right before Barry hooked an arm around his shoulder and steered him toward the register. 

Cisco turned into Barry and said quietly to him, “You do know that a tator tot isn’t a fry, though. Right, Bar?” 

Barry laughed and kissed the top of Cisco’s head, “Whatever you say.”=

Cisco opened his mouth to protest before he heard Barry’s stomach growl loudly. Queue Mama Cisco mode: “Barry Allen, did you have dinner before going out?”

Barry shrugged a bit, “An energy bar at the precinct and like two large pizzas after getting ready.”

Cisco stopped in his tracks, “ _ Only _ two large pizzas? Barry! You could’ve had a serious blood sugar problem; especially with the drinking!” 

“Well!” was Barry’s brilliant retort. “I mean, Caitlin was going to be with us anyway! And I just, forgot, I guess.” 

Cisco shook his head with disbelief and walked away from Barry towards the person waiting at the register, “Can’t believe him… Hi!” he greeted the tall girl who looked bored and tired. It was after 2 am, after all. “My brilliant boyfriend forgot to eat dinner,” Cisco said, reaching behind him for Barry’s hand and pulling him up to the counter by his side. “We’re gonna need like…” he trailed off, doing some calculations in his head. “Forty large orders of tator tots, please.” 

The girl quirked an eyebrow, “Forty?” she deadpanned. 

Cisco nodded resolutely, “Forty. With cheese.” 

“Aw,” Barry crooned, pulling Cisco closer, “You got me tator tots!” 

Cisco held up a hand, “Just cause I’m getting them for you does not mean that I agree with you on their classification.” He took out his wallet and slid his card. “Besides, I don’t need you crashing on me any time soon.” He turned to look up at Barry, waggling his eyebrows a smidge. 

The cashier rolled her eyes and handed over the receipt with a muttered thank-you. 

The pair stood over by the side of the counter to wait for their monstrous order. Barry draped his arms around Cisco’s shoulders as he leaned up against the wall, Cisco’s hands hanging loosely around his hips. “So… this any-time-soon business?” Barry asked, a cheeky grin brightening his face. 

Cisco matched his expression then bit his lip, “Well, we’re already up aren’t we? What’s a few hours more?” He dipped his hands into the back pockets of Barry’s pants suggestively. 

Barry licked his lips; his eyes locked on Cisco’s as his mind went to the heat between them and how he couldn’t wait to get Cisco under his hands again. 

His thoughts were interrupted as Iris came storming over to them with worry on her face, “Guys, Caitlin’s not feeling well.”

Barry and Cisco both furrowed their brows and started to leave their embrace, “What’s wrong?” Cisco asked, “Where have y’all been?”

Iris motioned behind her, “We went to the bathroom a while ago and before we could leave she got really dizzy and then she got the spins.” She grimaced a little. “I’ve been in there with her trying to get her back upright again, but it’s slow going.” 

Cisco groaned a little, “I knew I shouldn’t have let her have any Mai Tais.” 

“I can speed her home, get her some medicine or something,” Barry offered. 

Cisco shook his head, “Not just yet.”

Just then there was a ding as half of Barry’s order was presented on the counter. 

“Eat, Bar. I’ll get her on her feet and then you can take us both to her place.” Cisco said, reaching for a water cup nearby. 

“Both?” Barry asked, trying not to sound too pouty and failing miserably. 

Cisco gave a defeated smile and nodded, “Yeah. She’s not gonna do well in the morning and sometimes when she gets white girl wasted she gets up and moseys throughout the night. Poor thing needs a handler.” 

Barry nodded sadly. He knew it was never a good idea to leave a friend who had drank too much alone for the night and Cisco had been by her side in the past. It was only natural to care for her again; that’s what best friends do. 

~

About an hour later, Barry had finished his mountain of tator tots and Cisco managed to get Caitlin on her feet again. Iris, Wally, and Jesse said their goodbyes and headed out on their way home, electing for an uber instead of the whirlwind of the Barry-Express. 

Cisco and Caitlin had no such luck; after leaving Big Belly Burger the trio turned into an alley for a moment, before Barry scooped them both up and ran them to Caitlin’s apartment. 

“Wooh!” Caitlin exclaimed, bracing herself on the arm of her couch after Barry phased them through the door. “Yeah, no, uh-uh…” She trailed off, sinking down to her knees and holding a hand over her mouth.

“Oh boy,” Cisco muttered, jogging over to her bathroom and bringing her the smaller trash can and a wet washcloth. 

Barry stood off to the side feeling utterly useless. “Can I help somehow?” 

Cisco was rubbing Caitlin’s back and looked up at Barry, his thinking face on. “Uh, Cait,” he turned back to his friend who was frozen in her nausea. “Do you think you’d be okay if Barry, like, sped you to bed and got you in pajamas and stuff? You know how frustrating putting on pajamas is, right?”

Cisco always knew how to steer drunk-Caitlin to safety with the right tone and phrasing; this time was no different as Caitlin caught the bait. She nodded with a furrowed brow, “Yeah,” she said defiantly, “pajamas are  _ so difficult _ . Why are they so difficult, Cisco? Hey!” She looked up to him excitedly, “You can find a way to make pajamas easy! You’re so smart!” she reached up and placed an endearing hand on his cheek. 

Cisco chuckled a bit and held her hand, “I did find a way, Cait!” he nodded reassuringly, “His name is Barry.” 

Caitlin’s hazy eyes turned to Barry with a hint of relief, “Barry! My friend!” She reached up and grasped onto his pants leg, “You can make pajamas easy?” 

Barry grinned at her and nodded, reaching down and lifting her up to her feet carefully, “It’ll be over before you even know it, Cait.” 

Cisco blinked and Barry and Caitlin were gone; the light in her bedroom was on and there was a flurry of motion. The next thing he heard was Caitlin going, “Oh, yeah, no....” and he was jogging to the bedroom, trash bin in hand. 

Awhile later, Cisco and Barry were at Caitlin’s front door, “Thanks so much for helping,” Cisco said, twiddling his fingers nervously. “Sorry we - uh - didn’t get to, you know.”

Barry shook his head, reaching for Cisco’s nervous hands and lacing their fingers together, “She’s my friend, too, so don’t even worry about that. Or the other thing, for that matter.” He pulled Cisco closer and pressed their lips together sweetly, both of them sighing into the feeling. After a moment they pulled away, Barry extracting himself and walking towards the door, knowing if he didn’t leave soon he’d want to stay. “We have all the time in the world for that and I want to be awake for it.” He finished with a grin. 

Cisco looked at Barry’s watch and gasped a little, “ _ Five AM? _ Barry, what’s gotten into us? We’re up at dawn and we’re not fighting bad guys?” 

“Geez, we’re losing our touch; gotta get back in the groove,” he joked, swaying his hips a little as he backed towards the door. 

They laughed together as Cisco unlocked the door to let Barry out, smacking his butt one last time as he walked through the doorway. “Oh! Speaking of our groove: the next free night we get we’re dancing. You gon’ learn, Bar.” Cisco teased. 

“Oh, you’re gonna teach me something?” Barry teased back, leaning in slowly for one more goodbye kiss. 

“Oh, yeah, I’ma teach you something,” Cisco couldn’t help but snark back before their lips pressed together with a tingle. A gust of air rushed past Cisco and before he opened his eyes he knew Barry was already on his way home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is already half-written so expect it soonishhhh?? Thanks for sticking with me through this non-existent updating schedule!! Your kudos and comments are super duper appreciated!


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